Update: Firefighter Released From Hospital After Line of Duty Fall
Update, 4:56 p.m.: The Sag Harbor firefighter who fell while investigating a possible gas leak at the Sag Harbor Gym on Thursday suffered only a minor injury, Fire Chief Thomas Gardella said.
"Thank God, he's on his way home," Chief Gardella said. He identified Alex Smith, the captain in the Phoenix Hook and Ladder Company, as the injured firefighter, and said he had a contusion on his head, but nothing more. He was released from Stony Brook University Hospital just a few hours after he was airlifted there.
The 26-year-old was wearing his turnout gear and helmet. The chief said if he hadn't been he may not have faired as well. "It could have been much more serious than what it was."
Mr. Smith was inside the gym with Steven Miller, the second assistant chief, searching for the origin of the smell of gas that had been reported around 11:30 a.m. He was up on a ladder reaching into the drop ceiling with a gas meter when he either slipped or the ceiling gave way. "He landed head-first onto the ground," Chief Gardella said. A portion of the ceiling came down with him. The length of the fall had been reported as about 10 feet, but the chief said it was an 8-foot ceiling.
The Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated Mr. Smith, and airlifted him to Stony Brook University Hospital, a level-one trauma center, due to the height of the fall and the fact that he had hit his head.
Chief Gardella said the department had to then juggle two emergencies. "You have a potential gas leak and you have a firefighter that's down. The first priority is to get the attention to the firefighter, to make sure he's okay and get him out of the building," he said. "It gets complicated."
As it turned out, the gas leak report appeared to be unfounded. "Whatever they were smelling was not flammable," he said. The gas meters showed no readings. Still, the Fire Department shut off the gas to the building and asked the gas company to respond to check the pressure.
Just after Mr. Smith was airlifted and the gym was cleared of any potentially dangerous fumes, the Sag Harbor Fire Department was called to stand by on Shelter Island while the Shelter Island Fire Department fought a house fire. Sag Harbor firefighters were needed for only about half an hour, Chief Gardella said.
Originally, 12:33 p.m.: A Sag Harbor firefighter was flown to Stony Brook University Hospital on Thursday after falling about 10 feet while on a call at the Sag Harbor Gym.
The Sag Harbor Fire Department was called to a gas leak at the gym at 1 Bay Street at about 11:30 a.m., by which time the building had been evacuated. The male firefighter, whose name has not been released, was looking for the location of the leak on the second story when he fell, according to Village Police Chief Austin McGuire. He fell through what the chief described as a drop ceiling, landing on the gym floor by the women's bathrooms.
"Thankfully, he's all right," Chief McGuire said. While the firefighter was initially reported to be semiconscious, he was speaking and knew what had happened, Chief McGuire said. Because he fell 10 feet and hit his head, he was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, the nearest level one trauma center.
Sag Harbor Fire Chief Thomas Gardella could not immediately be reached for comment.
Around noon, firefighters cleared the gym of the gas leak, but the gym remained closed as of 12:30 p.m. An employee who answered the phone said it would probably remain closed until the afternoon.