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News
Family rescued from burning townhome : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisFamily rescued from burning townhome
| Oswego officers used collapsible ladder to reach second story balcony
| by John Etheredge
| 10/22/2009
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Oswego Police officers rescued five members of a family who were stranded on the second story balcony of their burning townhome Monday night.
Police officers were first on the scene of the fire at 306 Cascade Lane in the village's Ogden Falls Subdivision. The subdivision is located just south of the U.S. Route 34 and U.S. Route 30 intersection.
The officers were nearby on patrol when the call for service was received at 9:24 p.m., Police Chief Dwight Baird said.
Upon arrival at the scene the officers found the front of the townhome fully engulfed in flames and heard people screaming for help from a balcony at the rear of the residence, Baird said.
The officers used a two-story collapsible metal ladder that the department's supervisory officers carry in their squad cars to rescue Darrin and Amy Smith and the couple's three children, ages nines years to 11 months.
Baird said Sgt. Brad Delphey carried the collapsible ladder from his squad car and Officer Ryan Melhouse climbed the ladder to the balcony and then handed the children to Delphey and Officer Matt Fleming.
Darren and Amy Smith then climbed down the ladder, assisted by Melhouse.
Also assisting at the scene were Officers Ben Hackl, Brandon Dilg and David Canon.
The officers knocked on the doors of the adjoining residences at 302 and 304 Cascade Lane to determine if anyone else was in the four unit building. Baird said they assisted one elderly resident from one of the other townhomes.
Baird noted the officers had the Smith family safely off their balcony within four minutes of receiving the 9:24 p.m. dispatch for the fire.
In the meantime, Oswego Fire Protection District firefighters arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire in the Smiths' townhome.
Fire Chief Brad Smith said personnel from all four of the fire district's stations responded to the call.
Smith said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it appears to have started in a car that was parked in the garage.
"One of the homeowners heard a noise in the garage and found the fire," Smith said, adding, "There were a lot of flames and smoke in the home."
Smith noted firefighters were able to put out the blaze before it damaged the three other townhomes in the building. Firefighters were on the scene until 1:30 a.m.
He said damage resulting from the fire was estimated at $230,000, $150,000 to the townhome and $80,000 to the contents.
Smith praised village police for their efforts in helping the family to safety.
"It was good they were nearby when the call came in," Smith said, adding, "It's all about saving lives, that's the most important thing."
Baird credited Sgt. Scott Shockley for suggesting village police purchase collapsible ladders for the department's squad cars about four years ago. The ladders, Baird said, "cost a few hundred dollars" and the village board approved the purchase.
"Lo and behold, that purchase a few years ago allowed us to save the lives of five people last night," Baird said, adding, "You never know when things like that are going to come in handy-it's really nice that it did."
Baird credited his officers for their bravery and teamwork in rescuing the family off the balcony.
"We train for a lot of different scenarios: Life-safety events, pond rescues, anything that we can do because we are the ones who are always out, driving around in our squad cars and out in the community," he said.
Baird added that each of his officers must train once a month, eight hours a day.
"They must complete all kinds of different training and it's nice that the village provides us with the equipment we need to save lives like this," he said.
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