By Sarah Roebuck
FireRescue1
DALLAS, Ga. — A man who was trapped inside a burning house was rescued by firefighters with the Paulding County Fire/Rescue.
According to the department, PCFD was dispatched to a house fire on Monday around 2 p.m. The initial 911 call was from a family member who had escaped the fire and stated that someone was trapped on the second level of the house. Within two minutes of the call, PCFD’s Fire Deputy Chief Brandon Newsome and Division Chief Kevin Hart arrived at the scene.
The firefighters confirmed a person was trapped inside and with the assistance of four Paulding County Sheriff’s deputies, an initial rescue attempt was made. Personnel were pushed out of the house by heavy smoke and heat, but 45 seconds later, Engine 3 arrived and a rapid interior search was started.
“We didn’t have any equipment with us, we were in administration vehicles, of course. We could actually hear the occupant, then we knew he was in there,” Newsome told FOX 5 Atlanta.
First responders then located a semi-conscious man and pulled him to safety.
Additional personnel with PCFD and Metro EMS immediately rendered life-saving aid while crews at the scene conducted fire suppression operations.
“The thing we do is protect life — fire department, law enforcement, that’s what you do,” Newsome told FOX 5.
The 46-year-old man was flown by a helicopter to a burn unit where he remains in serious condition.
“This was a genuine team effort to save a life!” PCFD said in a Facebook post. “Great work by PCFD Engine 1, 2 & 3, Truck 2 & 11, Rescue 1 & 11, Squad 1, Battalion 1, 3402, 3410 & 3460; Paulding County Sheriff Deputies; Paulding County 911 Communication Officers; Metro 800; Airlife 5; and the nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals at Wellstar Cobb Hospital’s Burn Unit.”