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  • Westport Firefighter recalls harrowing river rescue
    Posted On: Mar 09, 2017

     In a clunky protective suit and trying to reach a woman struggling in the Saugatuck River’s current, Firefighter Earl Hill made the choice to let go of the rope tethering him to sure safety.

    Working under a unified command, police, firefighters and EMS worked to rescue the woman from the cold and churning river, as heavy rain fell the night of Feb. 25. The woman later identified as Stephanie La Mendola had been in a car with her husband, Richard La Mendola, that went into the river off a State Boat Launch near Elaine Road around 7 p.m.

    Rescuers found the car and Lamendola, 76, who died from drowning that night. Police suspect no foul play and are considering the role of the dark, rainy conditions and other circumstances that may have contributed to the accident.

    Hill and the crew he’s a part of were just a minute away from the Bridge Street Bridge when the call came in. They raced to the area, where Hill put on an exposure suit and moved to the dock behind Parker Mansion restaurant to jump into the water.

    Realizing his 150-foot tether wouldn’t let him reach the woman, Hill could see firefighter Ted Crawford entering the water from the opposite bank and a firefighter and police officer boarding a civilian boat to commandeer it and come pull the woman from the water. He could see firetrucks and police cars all around.

    “It’s not that big of a deal for me because I feel safe because all of my brothers and sisters are there,” he recounted, describing his thoughts as he signaled for his crew to let go of the rope. “It’s a team, so if something goes wrong with me, Ted’s going to get there. We’re going to help the person in distress. If something really bad happens to me, I’ve got all these other people that are there that are going to help me or whoever needs help.”

    “At that point, I’m just like swim, keep swimming. Swim as hard as you can,” said Hill, a member of the Westport Fire Department since 2003 who formerly worked as a professional lifeguard and in EMS. Originally from Florida, he now lives with his wife and six-year-old twin daughters in Newtown.

    Hill reached the woman and Crawford arrived just seconds later, holding the woman above water on each side. The boat was there a moment later to bring her to the dock.

    “You have to go as fast as possible because there’s a minimal amount of time we have to make a rescue like that,” said Crawford, a Connecticut native and Westport firefighter since 2011 who lives with his wife, son, and daughter in Bethlehem. Hypothermia was a significant concern and if the woman slipped under the water, the rescues could lose track of her in a situation where seconds counted.

    Yost watched from a dock with a flashlight on Hill as he made the call to untether himself. The chief was concerned for Hill, in the water and “very exposed.” He kept his light on Hill, relieved that Crawford was close and the boat reached the men quickly.

    “There were a couple of seconds there where this could go horribly wrong,” he said.

    After the rescue, both Hill and Crawford moved onto the next task at hand, searching for the man missing in the river. Hill patrolled the shoreline and ran a search pattern near the boat ramp later, remaining suited up. Crawford switched to work with the Dive Team. He is a member of the joint police-fire unit.

    “It feels good that we were able to do our jobs and help somebody,” Hill said. But Crawford added, “I feel bad we weren’t able to rescue both victims though, so it’s kind of bittersweet.”

    Article and Photo from CT Post 


  • IAFF Local 1081

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