Fire Blotter: Woman Extracted From Vehicle with Jaws of Life

The responded to a variety of emergency calls during the week of July 15-21. The following is a breakdown of incident types recorded for this period:

Fires: 3
EMS/Rescues: 64
Hazardous Materials: 4
Good Intent Calls: 7
Service Calls: 13
False Alarms: 10
Total Incident Count: 101

Assault Victim
At 6:17 p.m. on July 15, Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 105 evaluated a man who said he had been assaulted. Paramedics assessed the patient and provided basic life support measures on scene, including manual stabilization and cold packs to minimize swelling. The patient was transported to for further evaluation and treatment.

Head Injury From Fall
At 5:11 p.m. on July 16, Engine 106 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical assist in the 500 block of Las Tunas Drive. Fire personnel evaluated a man suffering from a large laceration to the forehead after a fall. The patient received advanced life support at the scene, including oxygen therapy, vital signs, intravenous access, wound care and full spinal immobilization. The patient was transported to Arcadia Methodist for further evaluation and treatment.

Medical Assist: Difficulty Breathing
At 3:06 p.m. on July 17, Engine 106 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical assist in the 600 block of West Duarte Road. Fire personnel arrived on scene and evaluated a woman suffering from difficulty breathing following a surgical procedure. Paramedics performed advanced life support measures on scene, including drug therapy, oxygen therapy and cardiac monitoring. The patient was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Medical Assist: Allergic Reaction
At 10:58 a.m. on July 18, Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 106 responded to a medical assist in the 100 block of North Santa Anita Avenue. Fire personnel evaluated a woman suffering from an allergic reaction. The patient was experiencing tightness in her throat and difficulty breathing. Paramedics provided advanced life support measures on scene, including intravenous access, 12-lead cardiac monitoring, oxygen therapy and drug therapy to counteract the allergic reaction. The patient was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Tree Fire
At 8:06 p.m. on July 19, Engine 105 responded to a tree fire in the 200 block of West Palm Drive. Fire crews arrived on scene and discovered tree branches resting on energized electrical wires, which resulted in electrical arcing that caused the branches to smolder. Southern California Edison was called to the scene. Fire personnel secured the area and awaited their arrival.

Traffic Collision, Overturned Vehicle
At 6:49 p.m. on July 20, Engine 107, Rescue Ambulance 105, Truck 105 and Battalion 105 responded to a traffic collision at the intersection of North Second Avenue and East Colorado Boulevard. Fire personnel found a two-vehicle traffic collision with one vehicle overturned. An occupant of one of the vehicles had minor to moderate injuries and required extrication from the vehicle. The patient received advanced life support at the scene, including full spinal immobilization, wound care, intravenous access, oxygen therapy and cardiac monitoring. A second patient sustained minor to moderate injuries. Both were transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Electrical Vault Fire
At 11:01 p.m. on July 20, Engine 105 responded to a reported electrical vault fire in the 100 block of East Duarte Road. Fire crews evaluated an underground electrical vault with light smoke eminating from a vent pipe. Southern California Edison responded to the location and shut down power to the vault. Edison personnel determined that an old line splice had blown. The scene was released to Southern California Edison.

Jaws of Life Used to Extract Woman Trapped in Vehicle
At 4:46 p.m. on July 21, Engine 106, Truck 105, Rescue Ambulance 106 and Battalion 105 responded to a traffic collision. Fire crews used the Jaws of Life to pry open a smashed car door and remove a woman trapped inside a vehicle. She complained of pain to her neck, back and right arm. Paramedics placed her in full spinal immobilization and transported her to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Faulty Gas Main
At 8:15 p.m. on July 21, the Fire Department received notification from the Southern California Gas Company that they were handling a gas problem in the area of Las Tunas Boulevard and South Santa Anita Avenue. Battalion 105 responded to investigate and spoke with a Gas Company representative who working in the area. The Gas Company had responded to a report of gas odor at a residence on El Capitan Avenue. Further investigation revealed water had entered the gas main, which resulted in the shutdown of gas to approximately 100 residences and businesses. The Gas Company determined that water entered the gas lines as result of the July 20 electrical vault explosion. The explosion created an arc that fused a water line to a gas line. The company established a command post and began pumping water from the gas main and restoring gas to area residents.