A window washer who suffered serious injuries after falling into a deep hole in Deerfield Tuesday was rescued by firefighters who raised him out in a rescue basket, officials said.
The 47-year-old man was washing windows at the ArborLake Centre office building at 1751 Lake Cook Road when he stepped on a grate that gave way, causing him to fall into a 20-foot-deep ventilation shaft, according to a news release from the Northbrook Fire Department. Although the man was conscious and alert, he suffered multiple injuries.
Rescue workers lowered a ladder down to treat the worker, and removed broken grates blocking the 3-foot-wide shaft. Because the 3-foot-wide shaft was too narrow to carry the worker out, a technical rescue team with members from various fire departments used a special hook, rope and pulley system to lower a rescue basket into the shaft and lift the patient out, the release stated.
Paramedics then took the worker to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Deerfield Police are investigating the incident.
Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.
Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.
He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.
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