Worker Trapped By Falling Branch, Rescued From Tree In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield firefighters rescued two workers from a tree Saturday, after one was trapped under a fallen limb.

The fire department was notified about 2:15 p.m. that the workers were in a tree behind Beacon View Drive, according to a department news release posted on Facebook. One of the workers had been removing a large limb from an adjacent tree when the limb dropped suddenly, crushing his leg and trapping it. The second worker had climbed the tree to offer assistance, but couldn’t reach the man.

Emergency personnel brought the would-be rescuer to safety, but the second worker was in a high, difficult-to-reach location, with branches and other debris in the way, the news release said. Responders used chainsaws to remove the branches, and once the base of the tree was cleared, they were able to reach the victim with portable ground ladders.

Firefighters Frank Zwierlein and Rich Bassett, who recently attended an arborist tree rescue class, built a haul system to lift the branch and secured the climber to a rescue harness, bringing him safely to the ground, according to the news release.

“This was not our typical rescue,” Assistant Chief George Gomola said in the news release. “… The specialty training that our firefighters had received prior to this incident paid huge dividends in safety and efficiency.”

It took emergency crews about an hour to rescue the worker, who was taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

The Bridgeport Fire Department assisted. Tree Warden Jeff Minder responded to support rescue operations, as did the Fairfield Department of Public Works.