Must see mayday video: Bedford, Virginia firefighter's helmet-cam captures his fall from attic to basement.
More on this fire from FireCritic.com
Some quite dramatic video from a fire in Bedford, Virginia on February 10 of this year. The fire was at the home of a firefighter from Huddleston. A Bedford firefighter who was in the attic was given another assignment. As he attempted to leave via the fold-down attic ladder it broke, sending the firefighter into the basement. He was wearing a helmet-cam. Thanks to our loyal reader Taylor Goodman of VirginiaFirePix.com for sending this along. Here’s the description from the Bedford Fire Department website:
Bedford Communications alerted Companies 7 (Huddleston-1st due), 8 (Moneta-2nd due), and 1 (Bedford-RIT) to 2548 Bethesda Drive for a report of smoke coming from the eves of a private dwelling. Ladder 1 (with six) responded to fill the RIT assignment but once on scene quickly went to work as the Search Group and Vent Group because of a lack of manpower. Division 1 located and extinguished fire in the walls on the first floor and requested that command assign an attic division to check for extension above. A “Mayday” signal was declared early on into the incident when a Company 1 firefighter fell approximately 20 feet when the fold-down attic ladder he was using to access the attic broke sending him down a flight of stairs into the basement. Fellow firefighters assisted him to the exterior where he was treated and transported for non-life threatening injuries. The attic division did locate extension in the attic and once extinguished the fire was marked under control. Units operating: P-7, L-1, T-7, W-8, W-83, T-8, T-10, W-1, R-1, County 10, County 3, County 1, Medic 14-8, and Medic 8. Total Company 1 personnel: 14. The home belongs to Company 7 firefighter Hayden Nichols. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Haden and his family.
