Fire Truck Sinks Through Hospital Garage Deck

Fire and heavy equipment crews worked for more than five hours to pull a West Chester Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company truck to safety after it partially fell through the deck of a parking structure at Thursday afternoon.

No one was reported injured in the incident which happened around 12:30 p.m..

Crews from were on the site with a big-rig crane. Main Health Spokeswoman Bridget Therriault tells Patch structural engineers were also on site making sure the fire engine can be safely lifted without further risk of a structural problem or collapse.

The parking area where the truck fell is a ground level deck with an underground parking area below. It is near the emergency room and Medical Office Building 3 on the hospital complex campus.

Officials on the site tell Patch cars that were parked in the underground area underneath the fire truck were cleared out of the way without incident.

Chief Neil Vaughn first told Malvern Patch that a crew from the Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company was at the hospital to transport a fire company member who had been at the hospital for cancer treatment. Thursday evening, Goodwill Fire Company issued a press release explaining that

TE Patch Reader Todd Rudo was at the hospital and sent news tip information and photos to Patch from his cell phone.

The right rear wheels of the fire truck fell through some kind of fault in the concrete deck.

Officials on site told Patch the plan all afternoon was to lift the truck using the crane and slide a heavy steel plate under the right rear wheels. That finally happened shortly after 6 p.m. once engineers had determined the operation could be done safely.

Details of the stuck fire engine:

According to the Goodwill Fire Company's website, Engine 52-2

"rotates first and second out for all engine company assignment within Station 52's first run area, West Chester Fire Department first-run area, as well as all engine assists.

Engine 52-2 carries hand tools, forcible entry equipment, assorted saws, gas/carbon monoxide detectors, high-rise pack, PPV fans, and a thermal imaging camera as well as other equipment required to fulfill all tasks assigned."

Generally other Chester County fire companies will serve as back-ups when a fire engine is on the scene of an emergency or out of service for an extended time.