WWII Ladder System Used To Rescue Man On Dumbarton Bridge

MENLO PARK, CA -- Turning to a historic method of rescue for a modern issue facing many San Francisco Bay Area communities, the city's police and fire units pulled out a special ladder system used in World War II to rescue a disturbed man on the Dumbarton Rail Bridge over Highway 101 Monday.

The technical rescue was placed in a narrow space where the Rail Bridge crosses over the highway between Willow and Marsh roads. The man who disrupted traffic was taken from a supporting concrete platform below the rail deck -- only about 12 feet from the highway, Menlo Park Fire reported.

The system used in the 30-minute operation that ended at midday is comprised of a basket, ropes and ladders with one operating its slide mechanism. Once lowered, the man was taken to Chope Hospital for a mental health evaluation.

"He was under the influence," said spokeswoman Nicole Acker of the Menlo Park Police Department, which placed the man in "5150" hold. The restraints involve involuntary detention procedures, according to community behavioral health services.

"He was definitely impaired. Normally, people don't run around the freeway," Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman told Patch Wednesday, adding the man ended up "in a weird spot."

The unique ladder system and operating procedures were used in World War II to access survivors in collapsed buildings and during the massive rescue effort on the Nimitz Freeway that pancaked during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Today, the section that connects San Jose and Oakland is referred to as Interstate 880 that runs along the East Bay.

"We rarely have to use (the ladder system)," Schapelhouman said.

--Image courtesy of Menlo Park Fire Department