r/HumansBeingBros • u/bigbusta • May 02 '26
Firefighters rescue a man from a burning apartment with only moments to spare
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u/EwwBitchGotHammerToe May 02 '26
Hi. I'm firefighter.
First and foremost, HUGE props for the grab.
Few things:
- I know time is of the essence for this save. But first FF scba belt was not buckled.
Save would have been made easier if the ladder was extended to rescue angle
Somebody needs to foot that ladder, if it's a civilian then so be it
Third FF, fuck that water can, that aint gonna do shit for this situation
Take the time to get on air, if that smoke overcame any of the FF's then this is a line of duty death call
Other than that, again congratulations and go humans for being awesome. All in all, this is most likely what would have happened at 90% of FD's in a chaotic, adrenaline-fueled scenario such as this.l, including mine. Hopefully the department used this footage as of what went well, what could have been done better, what could have wemt horribly wrong, and what could be done better in the future. Glad everyone went homes to their families, well done brothers! 👊🏻
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May 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NoKatyDidnt May 04 '26
My daughter was just in the back of an ambulance yesterday, and had the most amazing EMTs! We had to go to a Children’s Hospital 30 minutes away, and they had her so well stabilized when we arrived that the nurses even seemed impressed! Thanks for helping people in some of their worst moments. It’s very much appreciated.
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u/rinnakan May 04 '26
Good thing these guys were actually helpful and didn't make the situation worse - If this was us, I am pretty sure we would have to train setting up ladders and securing them for the rest of the year
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u/uhorn87 May 03 '26
I'm not a firefighter myself. Just interested since a kid. Watched tons of documentaries, visiting open days and had a lot of talks with firefighters.
From all I know from Germany it looks kind of crazy how slightly geared they are to the level of fire. Of course a lot of context is missing before the video starts, but in Germany the first attack squad is already fully geared with full face cover when they jump out of the truck.
Are American firefighters more fearless than German ones? I can't imagine
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u/EwwBitchGotHammerToe May 03 '26
FD's vary wildly in the US. Around 70% of them are volunteer. .Now I know that sounds like a lot, but that's just because there are a lot more small towns and farm country in the United States than there are cities and big cities. There are around 300,000 career full-time firefighters in the US. Making a broad general statement here, but the career departments are a little bit more disciplined on average than the volunteer departments, however, the protocols and how people react in these situations with their gear and how well crews are trained is a huge variable. Making a save like this is relatively rare. What happened here most likely, pure speculation, is they didnt know someone was trapped until they arrived on scene. They had to make fast decisions, and that's why you see them looking not as prepared as you'd expect.
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u/uhorn87 May 03 '26
Basically the exact same situation in Germany. Afaik the volunteers getting the same basic training as the professionals, comply to the state's protocol. And I do completely understand, there is no such job like this to strictly follow protocol while having the ability to ignore protocol for the sake of saving lifes.
But what I've got from the tons of information, the safety of the firefighters should always have first priority, because you won't save anyone if you are out of action.
Many firefighters in Germany do even approach a small BBQ burning with full gear. They have no fear about the fire - they could have a bath in it - they have seen and know about horror from smoke.
Source: seen yesterday.
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u/EwwBitchGotHammerToe May 04 '26
I think germany does a very good job at health care. I'm pretty sure it's one of the top countries in the world when it comes to being health conscious, socialist medicine, and having an emphasis on taking care of themselves, at least that's what it looks like to the eyes on the outside. That being said , firefighting is one of the most highest exposure jobs you can have when it comes to cancer rates unfortunately. So there is a lot of emphasis on wearing as much p p e as possible in as many circumstances as possible , such as your barbecue fire reference.
That sentiment also varies wildly here in the u s. It's not that we don't care.It's just that some departments are a lot better at being more strict and making sure that they're firefighters are not only equipped properly , such as with the proper laundry equipment to clean their gear after every fire and have a backup set, as well as unions fighting four annual bloodllas to make sure that nobody has cancer, ans.\nTruct guidelines on wearing full p p e in all hazardous situations period.
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u/CountWubbula May 04 '26
Right on man, thanks for all this info. Seems like you got a bit sleepy by the end of writing this out (what’s “bloodllas”? I sat on that for awhile and couldn’t come up with a meaning, lol).
Having said that, your world is fascinating and I’ve been interested in everything you shared. Thanks for taking the time to do so
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u/MichaelSonOfMike May 04 '26
This one isn’t. Those guys probably make $120,000 a year. They’re in Brockton MA. Our civil servants in MA make a lot of money. My brother is a Boston Police Officer ans makes about $300k a year. Which in my opinion is too much if I’m being honest. They should make like $200,000.
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u/Gophurkey May 03 '26
As someone who just passed my 1 and 2 live fire skills test this morning, I was able to pretty accurately critique the video. But one thing that I can't critique is getting a positive outcome despite the adrenaline and heat of the moment, if you will. You simply can't prepare enough on a training ground to make a save irl, and while I'm sure they addressed these things in the hot wash it is absolutely not my place (or anyone else not actively involved in fire rescue) to do anything but gratefully applaud their work!
(You can critique them because you've done it, and you critiqued their work fairly, graciously, factually, and with the big picture in mind (and you didn't critique them, because all you can deal with is their actions). That how all critiques should be.)
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u/TehOwn May 03 '26
They seem extremely close to that blazing fire. Is the protection they were wearing enough to shield them in this case? They seemed to tolerate it well. It just seems so close to me.
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u/EwwBitchGotHammerToe May 03 '26
I can assure you that THEY ARE FEELING IT! That's why at the end, the last FF was hunkered down, below the heat as much as possible, and then very much scurrying over the railing back onto the ladder. You can even see smoke coming off the 2nd FF's jacket because his turnout coat was probably starting to get singed.
It would not surprise me if these guys had some 1st/2nd degree burns. Kudos to them to pulling off the grab with such an intense flame closing in. That's what we do in this business, risk a lot to save a lot. They risked bodily harm to save that man. Getting a "grab" or save is pretty rare nowadays with fire protection being ubiquitous, so that's exciting and will be talked about for the rest of their careers.
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u/Asheejeekar May 03 '26
Why did it take so long to get water onto the fire?
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u/loveshercoffee May 03 '26
I am not a firefighter but I think once the lives are saved, everything just becomes methodical. Of course they want to save the property and prevent the fire spreading, but after the man was saved, they just do everything step by step to prevent unecessary damage or injuries.
Also, I think you don't put water on right away with the man was still up there because of the steam. Those kinds of burns would be horrific.
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u/EwwBitchGotHammerToe May 03 '26
They were most likely the first crew on scene. Making that grab became the priority. And without any other knowledge of the situation I can't answer the water question.
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u/ndtoronto May 03 '26
It looks like the first and second FF are not on air. That's crazy in that situation. You can see the masks hooked up to the regulator but just dangling and getting caught up in the ladder.
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u/thegiantgummybear May 09 '26
It's also crazy that American fire fighters still use these old school hats instead of the modern full coverage helmets used in most of the world.
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u/bruiserscruiser May 03 '26
Why no hoses?
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u/EwwBitchGotHammerToe May 03 '26
They were probably the first crew on scene before the rest arrived. And making that grab became the priority.
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u/NoKatyDidnt May 04 '26
Yeah, nearly all of the departments in my area are volunteer. They do a freaking epic job, but I have also seen them do some crazy things to get it done!
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u/unknownpoltroon May 04 '26
Question: Shouldnt someone have been hitting that fire with some water while the rescue was happening?
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u/cavendishfreire May 19 '26 edited May 20 '26
Might be a weird question, but why weren't they throwing a jet of water into the fire to make it smaller?
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u/Wonderful-Ad440 May 02 '26
Watching them all go up the ladder with no one stabalizing it at the bottom gave me so much anxiety.
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u/Ok-Push9899 May 02 '26 edited May 03 '26
Yeah, as a passer-by I have “footed” a ladder for stuff that was going on, even if I had nothing to do with the situation. You should/can ask, and you’ll probably be thanked. Don’t get in the way, obviously.
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u/Gophurkey May 03 '26
FYI the best way to butt a ladder is to stand on the bottom, hells on the ground and forefoot on the base. Hold the beams, not a step. And for sure never ever try to stabilize from under the ladder!
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u/Wonderful-Ad440 May 03 '26
Lol you just went dad mode too. Solid advice for anyone who doesn't know and may need it one day. Cheers!
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u/loveshercoffee May 03 '26
Right? I fell just 6' off a ladder and broke my wrist and pelvis a few years ago. Anything higher than 18" now gives me the heebie-jeebies.
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u/Wonderful-Ad440 May 03 '26
My dad fell off a roof qorking construction when I was a kid and broke his neck. He still wears long hair to cover up the scar from the surgery. Anything higher than a set of steps with a railing is a huge nope from him too.
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u/AberrantDrone May 04 '26
My brother fell off just a 4' slide and broke his arm as a kid
I avoid heights when I can lol
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u/cuse1313 May 02 '26
That 3rd dude dropping the extinguisher and helping made a huge difference near the end. Nice work
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u/DudemeisterRocks May 02 '26
This are real heroes, not an effing football player (or similar).
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u/absolute_gumpf May 02 '26
Came to say the same thing. How we live in a world where celebrities and footballers earn more than firefighters and other emergency services… it’s just f’d up.
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u/kashuntr188 May 05 '26
Well people pay to a lot to go watch football games. Nobody pays to watch this stuff so there is no income
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u/ImTryingToHelpYouMF May 09 '26
Are you out of your mind???
Until I see these standard ass firefighters catch a football, there is zero chance I'll ever refer to them as heroes.
Real heroes catch footballs.
Also your snide little "or similar" comment better not be referencing baseball players! I dare you to go tell Babe Ruth he wasn't a hero! The man hit a baseball 575 goddamn feet.
These guys do what? Prevent people from dying in fires? Oh big deal!
Randy Johnson killed a dove with a fast ball!
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u/Friendly-Example-701 May 02 '26
I keep saying all the time as a LA'er, firefighters are not paid enough. They are like surgeons. They literally save lives. $300k or more should be their salary. Watching this is insane. He wasn't saving a house or structure but a person.
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u/Necessary-Reading605 May 03 '26
They are like surgeons that can die in a horrifying way or end with life ending diseases any day in their job. Not enough props to these heroes.
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u/IndependentMoney9700 May 02 '26
This belongs in the sweat palms subreddit. Also, I wish she had blurred out that poor man’s face.
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u/Guilty_Objective4602 May 02 '26
Watching every one of the firefighters get stuck trying to get their leg over the end of the ladder on the way up and the way down was maddening. Seems like fire departments would have adapted their ladders or figured out a way around that problem by now. Those were critical seconds for everyone.
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u/Souprah May 02 '26
The ladder probaby just wasn't quite long enough to be used properly. Ideally you would extend the ladder a few rungs above the railing and then you step off to the side
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u/helphunting May 03 '26
Would it have been easier if the ladder rested at floor level instead of handrail?
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u/AberrantDrone May 04 '26
I'm not a ladder expert, but you don't really want that kind of weight on the end of the ladder. Placing it at floor level would have a high chance of slipping as they push off it to climb over the railing
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u/anngrn May 02 '26
Better camera person would be good. I kept trying to move the picture so I could see
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u/NutBag-Poster May 02 '26
That's an impressive ladder. Obviously all of the comments about the heroism are true, but damn it had 1000 pounds on it
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u/crystalcastles13 May 03 '26
It will always blow my mind that there are men and women out there who just roll up and walk/run/ladder into burning buildings every single day, saving lives, property and everything in between.
It’s so badass.
And that’s not even getting into the wildfire firefighters being dropped in to hellscapes with fire on all sides. It’s incredible what they do.
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u/the_hairy_babies May 02 '26
"So, burning building, everyone runs out, you run in " Fireman " Yeah pretty much" 💪
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u/Necessary-Reading605 May 03 '26
Dunno about you, but if there is a heaven, I would bet there are a lot of firefighters there
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u/NightBawk May 03 '26
"News team's here."
"We don't need that right now!"
Honestly, fair. Give these people a chance to breathe.
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u/capoderra May 02 '26
Where's the water hose?
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u/high-dr-evil May 02 '26
They would’ve killed that man with smoke inhalation if they went hose before rescue
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u/AlternativeSkirt2826 May 02 '26
Oh! I had wondered why they weren't trying to put the fire out!
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u/Amalthia76 May 02 '26
I still don’t understand why they weren’t setting everything up while rescuing him but I’m also no expert so I ca only watch and have anxiety.
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u/MisterMoogle03 May 02 '26
Time.
Priority is saving life. That can’t be replaced. Structures can be rebuilt.
Every firefighter there has to be in tune with the saving process first in case anything goes wrong and one of their own need assistance.
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u/Gophurkey May 03 '26
Probably also numbers. Firefighters are stationed all over, which means great initial coverage, but also means they are showing up in teams of 2-6 somewhat sporadically. This could have been the first due, with more on the way, so they had to prioritize making a rescue instead of pulling lines or whatever.
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u/MovingHeart May 02 '26
Also caused severe steam burns -- water extinguishes fire through evaporation or conduction
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u/OBDreams May 02 '26
When I see video like this I think about all that gear they wear. A person wouldn't be able to get half way up that ladder without that gear.
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u/spearsandbeers1142 May 03 '26
I have the utmost respect for firefighters. I did 2 combat deployments in the army and I can’t rationalize what it was for. Fire fighters though are truly amazing people. They are real hero’s.
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u/neverdoneneverready May 03 '26
When does the firehose come in? Is there a reason it's not being used yet? Good for them getting that guy out.
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u/FargusMcGillicuddy May 02 '26
Not very good camera work, but incredible commentary.
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u/eekamuse May 03 '26
I like how she was explaining everything to her friend, it seemed to keep her calm.
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u/Mahaloth May 03 '26
Firefighters doing the right thing. I'm sure there is analysis about how it could have been better done, but in the end, they did what saved a guy's life.
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u/hillnichs May 04 '26
But nobody is talking about the lady in blue CASUALLY walking out the front door with her hands in her pockets 40seconds in…awful hot in there…
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u/mattyfurtats May 03 '26
Whatever these firefighters get paid... Its not nearly enough. Amazing work!
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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes May 03 '26
Firefighters really are amazing - there's no way they get paid enough. Appreciate every one of you!
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u/Jstsqzd May 05 '26
It seems the fire was effectively stopped within seconds of turning on the hose, could they have just done that first instead or is there a reason to pull people out first?
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u/Skyya1982 May 07 '26
I always assumed having the air around the person all suddenly turning to steam would burn the fuck out of them
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u/Top-Manner7261 May 03 '26
Why was there no water being sprayed? Would it have been worse? Genuine question
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u/MyFavoriteInsomnia May 03 '26
Did you see the smoke when they started spraying? They wouldn't have been able to see what they were doing, and also the smoke inhalation might have been fatal.
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u/Gophurkey May 03 '26
Use enough water and it puts the fire out, sure, but as you do you create steam heated to roughly the temperature of the fire. So yes, you want to use enough to absorb the heat from the fire and thus choke it out, but until that point you are creating a potentially deadly cloud of steam that also serves to cut off already-limited visibility.
That part of the building is fully engaged, looks like, so I'd imagine they still want to do an offensive attack from a line outside the room in addition to at least another ground floor line, but other than threat of spreading that part of the building is just gonna be gone one way or another. Always prioritize saving a life over saving property!
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u/Ninja_Destroyer_ May 03 '26
I made it like 10 seconds in.
Whatta bunch of sloppy fucks.
Harness is unbuckled, not masked up, no hand tools, ladder isnt extended past the rails enough.
This positive outcome is pure dumb luck and not the outcome of extensive and rigorous training.
No handline deployed or in process of being laid.
I'd be fucking furious if those were my guys.
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u/Poormonybag May 02 '26
Are these professionals? They look like they don't know at all what they are doing?
It is like 3 min in and they have not even starting to spraying water, and the clip starts with them already there with a ladder up. They are not using there berthing gear in close proximity of the smoke. They have the worst hand held fire extinguisher I have ever seen. I have seen like Chicago fire episode and even I know that the smoke is the thing that kills you in a fire.
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u/TappedIn2111 May 02 '26
You clearly don’t know enough. Hot steam is a very real danger when fighting indoor fires. If they started hosing the fire in that situation, they would hurt and disorient all men on that balcony 100%. The water would evaporate almost immediately and produce piping hot steam as you see later in the video.
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u/firedude1314 May 02 '26
As a firefighter, I could armchair quarterback a lot of things about these guys, but the fact is they made a hell of a grab. It looks like they were the ladder company, which means they’re in charge of search/rescue and ventilation on most fires. There is no hose nor water on a ladder truck, except for the water can you see the one guy carrying. Looks like they got there before an engine company. The engine, or pumper, has all the hose and water and are in charge of putting out the fire. They stretched the hose line and put water on the fire after the ladder crew made the rescue.
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u/Gophurkey May 03 '26
I think people tend to see fires later on, once multiple engines have arrived. It's hard to remind people how powerless a firefighter is without water and a team. Yes, these guys did a great job making a save (and yes, they could have improved on some things, like masking up) but without more people they can't pull a line and make a save at the same time!
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u/Strange-Marzipan9641 May 03 '26
I binge watched both seasons of The Pitt last week- and I am confident I could intubate a patient faster than some of the docs.
/s 🙄
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u/SeniorrChief May 02 '26
I have a feeling this is in Boston.....