HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Three firefighters were injured at a fire training when a tower ladder suddenly collapsed Tuesday.
My Fox Atlanta reported that the routine training quickly turned into a real emergency when the firefighters were 75 feet in the air on the ladder truck. Fire officials told Fox that the incident was caused by mechanical failure.
Firefighters used a second ladder truck up to reach the injured men.
“The firefighters free fall was about 24 feet,” said Scott Cagle, Hall County Fire Marshall. “When the ladder stopped, that sudden jolt is what caused the injuries to the firefighters.”
Two firefighters were airlifted to a hospital and the third was rushed by ground ambulance, according to the report. All three are alert and talking.
Hall County bought the truck less than a year ago and officials said they’ve never had a problem with it, according to the report.
In June, three Erie, Pa. firefighters were injured in a similar incident involving a Sutphen aerial. The manufacturer said improper cables were installed during a rebuild two years ago.
After Tuesday’s incident, Sutphen Corporation officials announced that departments should remove all “SPH 100, SP 110, SPI 112, and SAI 110 aerials from service, until further notice, effective immediately.”
“At this time, our priority is the safety of our firefighters,” President Drew Sutphen said in a statement posted on the company website. “In light of the recent incidents, we recognize there is an immediate need to take precautionary action. I would rather take every precaution necessary than to put firefighters at risk.”