BFD perform rooftop rescue after nailgun incident
Burnaby firefighters had to rescue a man from the roof of a Metrotown-area apartment building Saturday after he shot himself with a nailgun.
Area resident Gary Wesa knew something was up when he heard sirens and saw two ambulances, three fire trucks and two Burnaby RCMP cars pull up in front of 6630 Telford Ave. just before 6 p.m. on Sept. 22.
A police officer and a firefighter he spoke to told him a contractor had been working on the roof of the three-storey building when he accidentally shot himself in the knee with a nailgun.
"He was effectively immobilized on the roof," Wesa said.
Burnaby Fire Department brought out a ladder truck with a cherry-picker-like basket. The injured man was secured onto an orange stretcher which was then placed on top of the basket where he was accompanied by a firefighter and a paramedic.
The basket was swung around and lowered underneath power lines and over a few cherry blossom trees before it made it to the ground, where paramedics took the man away for treatment, Wesa said.
"It was awesome. These guys operating the fire truck, I was really impressed."
Burnaby Fire Department assistant chief Dan Kilpatrick confirmed that Ladder 2 removed the patient from the rooftop and he was left in the care of B.C. Ambulance Service.
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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