Back in the late 1990s, when the Glenmoor and Crestmoor subdivisions were being constructed, a worker died after a trench caved in on him, recalled Oxford Fire Chief Jack LeRoy.
Lacking the necessary equipment to deal with the situation, firefighters ‘had to wait for a long time before anybody could begin any rescue operations.?
‘At that time Pontiac (firefighters) came out and it took them a while to get here,? he said.
To prevent history from repeating itself, township officials voted 6-0 to purchase $11,236 worth of trench and collapse rescue equipment.
This equipment would be used to rescue people trapped in either a trench cave-in or building collapse.
It consists of things like pneumatic shoring jacks, used to support the sheets of plywood that keep the trench from caving in further during a rescue.
Such equipment is meant to protect both the victim and rescue workers.
‘If part of the wall is caved in, you don’t want to get down in a hole when there’s a potential for another 10 or 15 feet (of dirt) over your head to come down on you,? LeRoy said.
In the event of a building collapse, this equipment can also be used to stabilize the remaining structure during rescue operations, the chief noted.
Members of the North Oakland Mutual Aid Group, of which the Oxford Fire Department is one of 16, are attempting to obtain a minimum amount of this type of rescue equipment, according to LeRoy.
Having such equipment will allow each fire department to begin rescue operations prior to the arrival of the North Oakland Technical Rescue Team, which brings additional equipment and manpower as needed.
Once they arrive, the team has ‘all the equipment we need to do a full-scale, overall operation,? LeRoy said.