HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Three firefighters are in intensive care after they were injured when a tower ladder fell about 20 feet during a training session.
Gainesville Times reported that the injuries range from bumps and bruises to broken bones. One firefighter had surgery on his back.
“The doctor was pleased with the surgery,” Fire Chief David Kimbrell said. “The back injury was very significant. (The firefighter) had a large hematoma on his back and had two vertebra that were broken. They put in two rods and screwed the rods into the vertebra in the injured area to stabilize it.”
Chief Kimbrell said the firefighter would be in a back brace for several weeks and would probably go home in seven days, according to the report. The doctor estimated recovery at a minimum of 12 weeks.
Following extrication from the bucket atop the ladder, firefighter William Griffin was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he was in fair condition, according to the report. Firefighters T.J. Elliott and Stephen Jackson were airlifted to a hospital, where further information about their condition was unavailable.
The Hall County Credit Union set up the Hall Co. Injured Firefighters Fund to help the affected families, according to the report. After the fund began, donations had reached $400 by Wednesday evening.
The firefighters were training at the county’s facility on Allen Creek Road when the bucket dropped. All three were from the new Fire Station No. 16 on Shirley Road, each possessing between four and seven years of experience.
Engineers will begin investigating the ladder truck, a 2006 Sutphen, which the department has owned since April, according to the report.
“At the time that we bought it, Sutphen was one of the only manufacturers without any ladder failure,” Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said.
Sutphen Corp. issued a news release instructing customers to remove all SPH 100, SP 110, SPI 112 and SAI 110 aerial devices from service effective immediately.