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Man Dies Waiting For Help at Empty Firehouse

4 comments

WHEN 49-YR.-OLD Vincent T. Chodkowski of Carmel, Maine, began having a heart attack, he pulled onto the front ramp of Bangor FD’s station 6 hoping to find help.  Instead, the station was empty while the crew was at station 1 for a scheduled training session.  A passer-by saw the victim laying on the ground and called for help. 

bangor a sta6

Station 6 entrance

When to police and firefighters arrived, Chodkowski was already dead.  He was driving a passenger van that transports people who are mentally disabled and still had one passenger on board.

The Bangor Daily News carried the STORY HERE.

Bangor Fire Chief Jeff Cammack says that  the department will take immediate steps to place some method of calling 9-1-1 next to the front door of each station.  Watch this video update from WCSH-TV Ch. 6:

Bangor Fire Department WEBPAGE.

Posted by on May 2, 2010 • Filed under: communications, dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, fire stations, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,
  • 100

    To me this is totally unacceptable. My department has a pullbox and/or a direct 911 telephone box at the front of every station.

  • http://www.nottrainedbutwetryhard.blogspot.com FireCap5

    Seems to me like Gamewell solved this problem MANY years ago.

    We still have a Gamewell Master box on the front of our station at my small VFD. It activates an autodialer that calls 911 and informs the dispatcher that our pull box has been activated.

  • Dal90

    Similar idea to FireCap's…we have an old pull station at our front door. Trips the fire alarm, which is wired to sound the station's siren + call ADT.

  • Dal90

    Similar idea to FireCap's…we have an old pull station at our front door. Trips the fire alarm, which is wired to sound the station's siren + call ADT.