Today, Firefighters in Los Angeles City were recognized for their efforts in saving a man's life, who was electrocuted at his worksite in 2017, on the roof of a building.

A call came in to Los Angeles' Metropolitan Fire Communications dispatch center on October 23, 2017, from a co-worker of the patient. The reported emergency was that a 25-year-old male was on the roof carrying metal gutters, which came into contact with energized wires, causing the patient to be shocked. The dispatcher quickly deployed firefighters and paramedics to the scene.

Within five minutes, LAFD crews arrived. They worked together to mitigate the electrical hazard, while initiating live-saving measures to stabilize the patient. They established a plan to retrieve the man from thirty feet above grade using the ladder truck's aerial extension ladder and a rope system. The patient was safely brought to ground level, where they were fastened to the gurney and loaded into the back of the ambulance. The ambulance, with help from members of the fire company accompanying them to assist with patient care, hurried off to the hospital.

The skills and coordination used, in tandem with the pre-hospital emergency medical care, gave this man a second chance at life. When seconds mattered, these LAFD members received the call, responded with lights and sirens, made access to the patient on the roof, applied the heart monitor, made IV access,  set up the ladder/rope system, secured the patient, moved the patient to ground level, transferred to the gurney, secured the gurney in the ambulance, and drove to the hospital all in a forty-minute window. This series of events could have easily taken well over an hour, if not for the coordination and dedication of the members who responded that day. They embodied the LAFD's unwavering dedication to providing exceptional public safety.

Because of their efforts, a young man is alive and well today. The Los Angeles Fire Department Board of Fire Commissioners recognized their outstanding performance today, October 3, 2023, at the Board of Fire Commissioners meeting at Los Angeles' City Hall East.

MEMBERS RECOGNIZED:

Firefighter/Paramedics from the transporting ambulance:

• Justin Clayton
• David Oseguera

Members from Task Force 37 (showing their rank at the time of the response):

• John Bantle (Captain II)
• Brian Russell (Captain I)
• Michael Romero (Apparatus Opperator)
• Christoper Burton (Engineer)
• Glen Gomez (Engineer)
• Erik Bentz (Firefighter)
• Drew Denton (Firefighter)
• Aaron Mann (Firefighter/Paramedic)
• David Narvaez (Firefighter)
• Ryan Caprio (Firefighter)