Photo provided by Columbus Fire Department Columbus firefighters use a “quint” firetruck to rescue a Camp Atterbury paratrooper from a large tree on the base property at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. — Columbus firefighters helped in a military operation Thursday, working with Camp Atterbury personnel to extricate a paratrooper from his parachute, which was stuck in a very tall tree on the Atterbury property.
Indiana National Guard Master Sgt. Bradley Staggs, a spokesman for Camp Atterbury, said Friday the paratrooper, whose identity and unit were not immediately available, sustained no injuries. He was not a member of the Indiana National Guard, Staggs said.
Firefighters said after the paratrooper was extricated from his parachute in the tree, he walked down the fire ladder to medical personnel from Columbus Regional Health and Lifeline, to be checked out as a precaution. There was a medical concern because the parachute’s harness can “dig in” to an individual’s body when they are hanging within it for a length of time, potentially cutting off circulation.
Staggs said the paratrooper had been in the tree for about two-and-a-half hours before he was rescued, because the tree was in a muddy field inaccessible to emergency crews.
Columbus Fire Chief Andy Lay said the call for mutual aid came at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Responding from Columbus Fire Department were Engine 2, Squad 2 and Battalion 1, led by Battalion Chief Mike Sieverding.
Because firefighters had to go “off-road” in muddy conditions to reach the tree, they drove what is known as a “quint,” which is a combination pumper firefighting truck that is an engine and a ladder truck. “Quint” refers to the five things the truck has — a pump, water tank, fire hose, aerial device and ground ladders.
Lay said firefighters knew they might get stuck off-road and emptied the water out of the truck before driving to the wooded area. “They were thinking out-of-the-box on that,” Lay said.
Upon arrival, they used the ladder to reach the paratrooper, attached a safety line to him and walked him down to waiting medical personnel, Lay said. The paratrooper was transported by helicopter for additional medical evaluation.
Lay said the “quint” did eventually get stuck during the operation, and a Camp Atterbury wrecker pulled it back to the road on the base following the rescue.
It was a good collaboration, Lay said. “It wasn’t that heroic or anything, it was pretty low key. The number one goal was his safety.”
Staggs the said the incident is being investigated and more information will be released when it’s available. The investigation will find out what led to the paratrooper getting caught in the tree, how the response was handled and “how we can make it better each and every time.”
“We take pride in the fact that we bring soldiers in and give them a place where they can hone their skills,” he said.
But Staggs said this much is known — the paratrooper was an experienced parachute jumper. He said to qualify as a paratrooper, a military member must make multiple jumps.
“After that first jump, you know if it’s something you want to do,” said Staggs, who said he has skydived before, but in a military capacity. “The second you step out of an airplane, you know if you ever want to do it again. These paratroopers are professionals.
“It was a learning curve,” he said, “and nobody was hurt.”
