Teamwork to Save the Day --and a Life
A lot of people complain that their jobs fail to have real meaning. Not Chris Castellanos.
On Wednesday, the sturdy Angeleno and about 150 other firefighters engaged in the dramatic, daylong rescue of Art Garcia, a construction worker who tumbled down an unstable earthen hole in Pacoima, ending up trapped almost 30 feet down in dirt up to his neck.
Castellanos was the final rescuer into the crevice, lowered down by a system of ropes and pulleys, reaching down to Garcia. In the cramped quarters--at points only 2 to 3 feet wide--Castellanos assured Garcia he would live, using calm conversation and periodic squeezes to the hand.
All the while, the 33-year-old firefighter worked with a powerful vacuum that looked like a huge metallic and rubber snake, scooping up the earth around Garcia to free him.
Finally, at about midnight, Garcia was hoisted from the trench, alive.
*
Question: What pops into your head first when you think of last Wednesday night?
Answer: Unbelievable. To see a guy come out of a seemingly hopeless situation. That and the camaraderie among the firefighters. I was just the last guy down there, kind of by luck.
But it was a huge team of people that saved Arturo that night. Everyone involved put their lives on the line.
*
Q: What sorts of emotions does a rescuer feel?
A: It can be a roller-coaster ride. Some rescues can be absolutely devastating. When the person you are trying to save doesn’t make it, the whole group of firefighters just gets real down.
But seeing Arturo make it out of that hole alive, it was the most amazing feeling. That made everything we do, all the training and the risks, totally worthwhile.
*
Q: Tell me about the risks, when you go down into a trench that could give way at any time: Is that a petrifying experience?
A: It’s scary. None of us would say we went down into that hole without thinking of the danger.
You think about your family, your loved ones. I thought, for a second, would I ever see them again? But then, when I saw Arturo and realized what I had to do. . . . All of a sudden, I just zoned into . . . getting him out of there alive and using my training. All the guys said the same thing. When you’re in the heat of the moment, you almost forget about yourself.
*
Q: Was the Pacoima rescue more stressful than others you’ve been on?
A: It was pretty crazy down there. The thing is, it was such an uncontrolled situation. Surrounded by . . . dirt that was caving in and could potentially kill him and us--the anxiety was as high as I’ve ever experienced.
*
Q: Is there a bond that develops between rescuer and rescued?
A: There really is. In this situation, I think all of us who went down there, in such a tight space, we all feel a closeness with Arturo.
I told him when I was down there to hang in there and we would go get some tequila. I plan on that. With some of the people we have rescued in the past, they come by the station house and bring gifts and food on holidays.
*
Q: So how did you get this job?
A: I wanted to be a firefighter since I was in high school (at Los Angeles’ Woodrow Wilson High). After I graduated, I went to Pasadena City College, where I took fire science courses dealing with rescue, fire behavior, firefighting strategy. . . . When I was 22, I made it into the department.
*
Q: Your job is sometimes a bit different from most firefighters though. Are you specifically qualified to do rescues?
A: Well, I’m a firefighter plus I’m a part of L.A. fire’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 27. There are three different task forces in the city, at least 10 guys in each outfit. To be a part of this, you take special courses to learn rescue techniques. Things like cliff rappelling, heavy-object removal, trench rescue.
*
Q: What sorts of things do urban search and rescue teams do?
A: We are involved in all kinds of rescue situations. There are accidents like what happened last week. But most situations usually have to do with natural disasters--rescuing people after earthquakes, fires.
We’re part of a rotation that actually covers disasters that happen all over the Pacific Rim. So I could potentially be called to go to an earthquake in Japan.
And we help with rescues in the U.S. The Oklahoma City bombing was an event that some of us went to. I didn’t go though; someone’s got to stay in Los Angeles in case something happens here.
*
Q: After the rescue, did you celebrate?
A: Well, we didn’t have time to even catch our breath, really. We were on a 24-hour shift, and when it was over . . . we just went back to work. In fact, that same morning we had two more emergency calls to respond to before we clocked out at around 6 a.m.
And to be honest, the day didn’t end there because then we spent hours dealing with the media after that. Just another day at the office, ya know?
*
Q: What motivates you to stay on this job?
A: The biggest gratification is (that) we’re the contributors to solutions.
*
Q: What’s it like at the station house?
A: We’re a tightknit team (at Engine Co. 27 in Hollywood). That’s one of the things I like most about the job. We have fun together, but when that alarm goes off, we put on serious faces and get to work.
*
Q: What does your job teach you about life?
A: Well, we see it all, really. We see babies coming into the world, and we see people lose their lives. It makes you appreciate everything you have, and appreciate the value of life, of things like loved ones and family.
*
Q: How does experience and maturity help you on your job?
A: Well, if I had gone into that hole when I first started out on this job, when I was in my early 20s, I don’t think I’d be as calm and focused as I was.
Maturity and experience on this job teaches you to slow down and think about every move. The younger guys have the strength and the agility, the older guys might have to use their mind a bit more.
*
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: I just want to say thanks to all the people who supported the rescue last week. There was more attention than we usually get. Other than that, nope. We were just doing our jobs.
