Incident number:9230626                  Date:  Oct. 1, 2009            Time of call: 7:12 p.m.

Type of call:  Technical (Trench) Rescue

Correct address: 200 block of South Rampart Boulevard (near Alta)          CLV Ward: 2

Name:  On Rampart Boulevard
                                
Zip:   89145                        District/Phantom: 2416-35                 Number of alarms:  One

Building type: None            Number of stories: None              Units:  None
                            
Construction type:  N/A              Smoke alarms:  N/A           Sprinklers:  N/A        

Number of occupants:  Adults:  N/A      Teens (18-13): N/A           Children: N/A

Any injuries: Yes        How many :  One          Type:  Non-fire related injury.  Male fell approximately 25 feet into construction trench, complained of arm and leg pain.
 
Damage estimate:  N/A                   Description of damage:   N/A

Cause of incident:  Under investigation

American Red Cross: No                 Pets:  None           Status of pets:
 
General information about the incident:   9-1-1 operators received a call from a man that he had fallen into a construction trench and was injured and not able to get out of the trench. He complained that he hurt his arm and leg. He was not sure where he was, but did see a piece of construction equipment.  Man was found by construction workers and firefighters in a trench about 50 feet long, 30 feet wide and approximately 25 feet deep in the northbound lanes of South Rampart Boulevard directly across the street from the Suncoast Hotel & Casino. The trench was made to relocate a water line by the water district. Both the water district and construction company doing the work did not know who the man was or why he was there. The construction area is surrounded by a concrete jersey wall about three feet high and signs warning pedestrians not to walk on that side of the street. For the man to have gotten into the trench, he would have had to climb over the jersey wall. It was not known why he was inside the construction area.  Technical rescue firefighters from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue and the Clark County Fire Department worked approximately two hours to get the man out of the trench. He was not buried by dirt, but the walls of the deep trench were not secured and firefighters were concerned that large amounts of dirt could crash down on the man or rescuers at any time, crushing them. That is why Rampart Boulevard was closed during the incident as any vibrations from vehicles on the road, especially large-heavy vehicles could have started a cave-in. Firefighters used wood and other equipment to “shore up” the walls of the trench to make it safe for all of those working in the trench. Then the man was put into a special extrication vest and pulled up from the trench. As he was wheeled into an awaiting ambulance, he gave everyone a thumbs up. Thirty seven firefighters responded to the incident with 13 pieces of equipment. None of the emergency personnel were injured.