At 08:27 hours this morning the Chester County Rescue Task Force Trench Team was dispatched to assist the Coatesville VA Fire Department with a Trench Rescue. Engine 76 arrived to find a subject buried in a trench below grade. Engine 76 members began to work to free the patient at the same time calling for the Trench Team.

Chester Counties Rescue Task Force was dispatched bringing Stations 35 (Wagontown), 38 (Thorndale), 53 (Fame of West Chester), 47 (Lionville), 06 (West Whiteland) and 68 (Valley Forge) along with Berwyn Medics and the Chester County Hazmat team rep.

Squad 35 made the response at 08:40 after loading our panels for shoring and timbers and various other materials used to shore a trench after collapse. At the same time the other companies were doing the same and responding.

Crews arrived and came together for the first time on an incident and began the process of extricating the patient from the trench. The subject was working for a contractor and was working in the trench when the really loose sandy soil gave way trapping him in the trench. The crews went to work using shoring panels, air struts and a variety of other methods to secure the sides of the trench to ensure that no additional soil fell in the trench while the rescue was ongoing. Crews also worked to dig the buried worker out of the hole. Various resources were used throughout this incident.

This group had trained several times prior to this event which quickly became obvious as the group worked well together and had the victim out of the trench in right around the 2 hour mark from the time arriving.

The patient was then loaded into an ambulance from the Coatesville Fire Department and was transported to a local trauma center for treatment of his injuries.

Great job by all involved in this incident