Rescues in St. Paul

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2014/04/26/thermal-imaging-helps-rescue-child-and-father-from-fire/8230489/

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three-year-old Fred Stewart, Jr. has a violent cough, something doctors say is due to smoke inhalation.

Both Stewart and his father, Fred Stewart, Sr., were rescued from a burning apartment in St. Paul on Friday.

“I was scared,” the three-year-old said while coloring in a Regions Hospital waiting room.

Firefighters used thermal imaging to pull the two from the burning unit. Turns out, paramedics participating in an ongoing training program were in the neighborhood on another call.

That program is made up of more than 1,400 first responders and paramedics in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Dr. Bjorn Peterson, assistant medical director at Regions Hospital, said when he heard the victims were trapped inside of the building he knew timing was critical. Peterson and the resident he was training that day showed up before the dispatched ambulance. Peterson was able to give medical attention right away.

“Thirty to 60-second delays, a couple of minutes or seconds, who knows, the smoke inhalation can over take a person quickly,” he said. “I could only guess what the outcome would’ve been had there been a slight delay.”

Trawanda Harris said she feared the worst when she arrived at the complex. She said she is thankful for the technology that helped firefighters locate her little brother and his father. Both suffered from smoke inhalation. Friday night, Fred Stewart, Sr. was listed in critical condition and could not breathe on his own.

“I love my little brother a lot. I am happy that he is alive and safe and doing good,” she said.

Firefighters say a space heater is to blame for the blaze.

“I don’t think we will ever use another one again,” Harris said. “My step dad gets colder because of his medical conditions. So, maybe that is why the heater got plugged up because he was cold.”

About Author

countyfiretactics

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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