March 11, 2005 – Six fire victims in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan were rescued Thursday, March 3 thanks to teamwork between two IAFF Canadian locals – Saskatoon Local 80 and Saskatoon Ambulance Local 3270.
"We had a report that three children were inside the burning house," says Bruce Siemens, president of Local 80. "Luckily, our crews were able to get out there in less than two and a half minutes. The mother was waiting outside and was able to tell our guys that her kids were on the second floor."
Wasting no time, Local 80 fire fighters immediately started a search and rescue effort using ladders to attack the outside and fire fighters with hose lines to attack the inside. Quickly, the fire fighters were able to reach the second floor.
The crew located three children in the bedrooms and an adult male in the basement. A 14-year-old boy who was also in the house escaped on his own.
As each victim was removed from the home, paramedics from Local 3270 took over. "Due to the work of the emergency teams, we were able to give the patients a chance of survival," says Troy Davies, public information officer for Local 3270. "We had four patients in full arrest, but were able to get all of their hearts beating again. That’s amazing."
All of the victims were transported to the hospital in various conditions. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but arson has been ruled out.
