Flagstaff fire crews rescue man stuck for 2 days in storm drain

By KTVK/KPHO Staff

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  (KTVK/KPHO) -- Flagstaff crews pulled out all the stops to rescue a man who had been stuck in a storm drain for two days.

Just before 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Flagstaff Fire Department dispatched a number of crews, including a technical rescue vehicle and a battalion chief to the report of a person trapped in a storm drain on the east side of Flagstaff.

Crews arrived to find the man 30 feet down a series of storm drains and 40 yards horizontal from where he fell.

The patient stated he had been trapped for two days in adverse weather conditions and standing water, and was suffering from multiple injuries and the effects of prolonged exposure.

"Members from the Technical Rescue Team entered the confined space to stabilize, package and extricate the patient using a flexible plastic SKED device designed explicitly for this type of rescue," stated the Department's Facebook page. "This highly technical and labor-intensive operation took 2 hours with nine on-duty FFD members. Guardian Medical Transport (1 paramedic and 1 EMT) assisted efforts on scene, and then transported the patient with a FFD paramedic to Flagstaff Medical Center for further evaluation and definitive treatment and care."

Flagstaff fire officials say they want to remind the public that storm drains are very dangerous at all times, but especially during the raging monsoon, and that you should never attempt to access these storm systems.

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