CONCORD — Fire Chief Thomas Judge reports that the Concord Fire Department responded to the Concord Country Club on Tuesday morning after a town worker fell approximately 20 feet into a trench during an inspection.
A retired 35-year Concord firefighter, Peter Fulton, was golfing at the County Club when the man fall. Firefighter Fulton ran over and called the fire department, giving specific, detailed instructions for how to reach their portion of the sprawling golf course, using an access road, saving approximately 10 minutes of response time. He then lowered a heavy duty industrial hose down to the victim and instructed him to tie it around his waist. Firefighter Fulton had the presence of mind to then wait for rescuers to arrive, being all too aware thanks his years of training and experience of the potential dangers of trench rescue.
Firefighters arrived and quickly set up a hoisting system. Using multiple ground ladders, starting at one end of the trench, the lowered the system down to the victim and coached him to pull himself to safety.
The victim, age 59, was transported to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Given the sandy soil of the golf course and the distance the victim fell, Chief Judge is extremely pleased with the outcome.
“A lot went right today, resulting in the safe extrication of the victim. This started with a veteran rescuer, trying to enjoy his well-earned retirement, called back to duty and not missing a beat and it ended with our rescue crews falling back on their training to ensure a safe rescue for the victim and the firefighters,” Chief Judge said. “I am very proud of everyone involved in today’s rescue.”
The Concord Country Club is located on Old Road to 9 Acre Corner in Concord.
The Massachusetts Department of Labor, which has oversight over municipal worker safety, was notified of the incident.
A regional technical rescue team out of Massachusetts District 14 was dispatched but canceled before arrival. The Acton and Lincoln Fire Departments covered Concord during the incident
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