‘Just another Tuesday’: JFRD gives update on high-angle rescue

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Three members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department joined america connected The Morning Show to sermon an aggravated high-angle rescue yesterday that had america connected the borderline of our seats.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The video had our newsroom sitting connected the borderline of our seats arsenic we watched Sky4 hover implicit a immense crane connected Pier 35 astatine Blount Island Tuesday soon earlier noon. The firefighters swarming a conception adjacent the apical of the crane looked tiny compared to the ample operation that lines the northside of the St. Johns River.

They were determination responding to a telephone of a idiosyncratic trapped connected a assistance that had been partially crushed by a malfunctioning elevator. The stairs were not an enactment truthful Jacksonville Fire Rescue unit had to hoist and past little the idiosyncratic to safety.

The firefighters swarming a conception adjacent the apical of the crane looked tiny compared to the ample operation that lines the northside of the St. Johns River.

They were 150 feet successful the air, adjacent to 12 stories high. Lt. Allen Harvill usually would person performed the daring thrust by enactment to the crushed with the patient, but helium tapped Engineer Freddy Ortiz for the occupation that day. Ortiz said helium had ne'er performed a existent mid-air rescue, but had trained a batch for days similar that moment.

“We signifier for this worldly connected a regular basis,” Harvill said. “Every day, we’re retired astatine a antithetic building, a antithetic parking garage, preparing for this moment. Yesterday, we were acceptable to go.”

Watch extended video of rescue below:

Harvill, Chief Jack Griggs and Ortiz appeared connected The Morning Show connected Wednesday to stock details of the rescue.

Ortiz said during the “ride” to the ground, which took much than fractional an hour, helium was trying to support the antheral calm.

“I was telling him to breathe, enactment calm and adjacent his eyes truthful helium doesn’t spot the tallness that we’re at,” Ortiz said.

Griggs was moving the peculiar op from the apical of the crane.

“It’s a large alleviation erstwhile connected the ground, you interest astir the crews, you interest astir Freddy and you interest astir the patient. It’s a large alleviation erstwhile they get everyone connected the ground,” helium explained.

The antheral who was rescued has not been identified. JFRD said helium was transported to the infirmary for reflection and is expected to beryllium OK. Sky4 caught the antheral waving to the firefighters arsenic helium was wheeled connected a stretcher to an ambulance.

While Ortiz described the mid-air rescue as, “just a regular Tuesday with us,” determination was thing regular astir what we watched the squad do, which is wherefore we would emotion to speech with the antheral who was rescued. We would similar to stock his communicative and his thoughts astir the squad that saved him with our viewers.

If you cognize him, delight person him interaction maine via email: jwaugh@wjxt.com.