It’s basically the last thing any firefighter wants to call over their radio. But in Freeland today, one volunteer firefighter was forced to say it.
“Mayday! Mayday!”
That’s what everyone heard Sunday. It was at the scene of a deadly fire in Freeland, Luzerne County. And, the call came from one firefighter trapped and seriously injured in the burning building.
The audio from the firefighter inside the building is understandably choppy. Clearly, you can hear the panic in the man’s voice. However, the Luzerne County dispatcher repeats what he’s hearing to confirm the situation. Check out the audio here:
The injured firefighter was taken from the burning building. He is one of at least 6 firefighters injured in this Sunday morning fire. One man who lived in the burned building did not make it out alive.
CHECK OUT: Full List of Schuylkill County Fire Departments
A firefighter is trained on when to call Mayday and these situations are supposed to be rare and usually are. A Mayday call is reserved only for when a firefighter absolutely can not get themselves out of danger on their own. Other firefighters on the scene must assist in getting their fellow member in trouble out of a working fire.
Check out this slide from a presentation on Mayday calls for firefighters. It shows how many firefighters said they would call a Mayday in given situations:
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