A group of Lakewood firefighters and a Lakewood EMT were awarded the 2022 Group Effort Award by the NJ State Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association for their efforts to dislodge a man from a concrete pumping machine in Lakewood last year.
On July 16, 2021, Lakewood Fire and EMS were dispatched for a male trapped in a concrete pumping machine at a construction site. When units arrived, the machine was found on wet ground at the edge of a 14-foot hole. The operator of the machine was found inside the hopper area entangled in the paddles of the machine.
EMS entered the hopper to assess the patient and found he had a severe leg injury, so a tourniquet was applied. Fire units evaluated the machine and determined the extrication process.
The rescue plan included cutting portions of the hopper and the mechanisms that the patient was entangled within. A lifting system was devised using a crane and a harness placed on the patient. This allowed firefighters to pull the individual from the hopper.
The patient was then transferred to EMS for additional treatment and then transported via Medevac to a trauma center.
The recipients of the award are:
- Fire Chief Jonathan Yahr;
- Captain Todd Stark;
- Firefighter Christopher Hansson;
- Firefighter Jeremy Reyes;
- Firefighter Patrick Ortiz;
- Firefighter Steven Seiffert;
- Firefighter Travis Veth; and
- EMT Jose Ortiz
Additionally, former Lakewood EMS employee Mary Jane Delvalle was honored with the Scott Garber Service Award.
