Palm Beach County Fire Rescue firefighters rescued a person trapped in a bedroom during an early-morning apartment fire in Lake Worth Beach last week.
Dispatchers told crews before they arrived that a 911 caller believed someone was still inside. Firefighters considered the time of day and the vehicles parked outside, and concluded the bedroom was the most likely place to find the person. The size, shape and placement of the windows helped them pinpoint the room.
Crews used VES, a method that stands for vent, enter and search. They cleared a window, went into the bedroom and closed the door to keep smoke and flames from being drawn in. The person was brought out through the same window.
Once outside, crews switched from rescue to medical care, treating burns before the person was taken to a trauma center. The source report did not give the person’s condition or say what caused the fire.
In a Facebook post, PBCFR credited the quick response to the information relayed to crews, their decisions on the fireground and the medical care that followed.
