A veteran Omaha fire captain says Tuesday's trench rescue of utility worker Drew Johnson was one of the most dangerous of his 20 plus year career.
Johnson was doing some sewer work near 130th and Cuming around 9:45 Tuesday morning when dirt caved in around his legs. Johnson was trapped for seven hours before he was eventually rescued.
On Thursday the Omaha firefighters involved in the rescue described the life-threatening work they faced. Captain Terry Barney says they brought in special operations crews specifically trained in a variety of rescue techniques, including trench rescue.
Barney says they had to deal with a trench that was 12 inches wide and 12 feet deep. The clay compounded the problem. Barney says that's the most difficult material to deal with.
Firefighters had to go into the hole head first into the narrow gap and crews had to be rotated. Barney says they nearly had Johnson freed when there was a secondary collapse of the trench and they had to start ovto clear that dirt away.
"Make no mistake that every person who entered that trench was risking their life to get him out," Barney says. "Our best tool is training." That training is an ongoing process and the training plans have been in place for 20 years."The outcomes aren't always great on these," Barney said. This case was different. Barney said the fact that Johnson came out in relatively good shape and no firefighters were injured, "speaks volumes." OSHA is looking into the matter.