FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- There is no question that it takes a special kind of person to be a firefighter. They must act selflessly -- at a moment's notice -- and subject themselves to variety of harrowing situations to ensure the safety and well-being of others.
While these individuals are quick to say that it is "all in a day's work," a grateful community recently lauded five Fort Drum firefighters for their efforts to provide mutual aid during an emergency off post.
Assistant Fire Chief Matt Woodward said that he and a group of firefighters had just returned from assisting with a structure fire in the city of Watertown when Fort Drum received a call from the Black River Fire Department.
"Black River fire and emergency medical services had responded to a snowmobile accident involving a youth," he said. "The victim had hit a tree at the bottom of an embankment near the Olympic Trail off East Remington Street in Black River."
Woodward and firefighters Merrick Bunstone, Dave Egan and Joe Chaisson and fire inspector Scott Day loaded up their gear -- including one specialized piece of equipment that would prove essential to the rescue effort -- and raced to the scene of the incident.
"When we got there, EMS was already on the scene," Bunstone said. "They were taking care of the victim at the site of the accident, but they did not have the equipment they needed to get him out of the woods quickly."
In order to move the victim to the helicopter that would transport him to the hospital, the first responders had two options, said Black River Fire Chief Matt Carpenter.
"We could set up a rope rigging system to bring him up a steep embankment in a Stokes Basket, or we would have had to have six to eight men carry him out," Carpenter said. "They would have had to walk three-quarters of a mile in the deep snow, and it would have been very labor intensive."
Luckily, a captain with the Black River Fire Department knew that Fort Drum firefighters had a utility vehicle that could navigate the deep snow.
With a track system similar to that of a snowmobile, the utility vehicle would allow emergency personnel to bring the victim to safety in a fraction of the time, ensuring that he received treatment in the timeliest manner possible, Egan said.
"The 'golden hour' is a timeframe that we try to hold to," he said. "That's the time that passes from the injury for the patient until the time that we get them to a hospital setting to receive care. In this case, he was out in the elements, so it was even more important to get him to the hospital quickly."
Egan and Bunstone unloaded the vehicle and drove down the rail bed to the site of the accident.
Assisted by emergency personnel already on the scene, they secured the victim in a Stokes Basket on the back of the vehicle and drove him to a waiting ambulance. There, the victim was assessed and stabilized. Then Chaisson drove the ambulance across the street to a helicopter waiting to transport the youth to the hospital.
Chaisson said that the utility vehicle is an important asset to the Fort Drum Fire Department, as well as to local emergency service organizations that rely upon aid from the installation.
"We have equipment and vehicles available to us that they don't have," he said. "In this case, they knew we had the equipment they needed, and they called us in to help."
Carpenter said that the strong relationship that exists between the Fort Drum Fire Department and local emergency service organizations is vital to the safety of our community members.
"The Fort Drum firefighters are amazing," he said. "The training and equipment that they have make them an invaluable asset to us. When an emergency situation occurs, they are always ready to come out and support us. It's great to have them close by and to know that we can call upon them any time."
Woodward said that he is proud of his team and the support that they provide to the local community.
"These firefighters come to work every day ready to do their jobs well, no matter what challenges they face," he said. "Our community firefighters are just as dedicated. We are all committed to the same job, and it is great to know that we can rely upon one another in an emergency."
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