Seeing our children outside our houses exploring and doing “normal” kid things is getting rare because of the internet, technologies, and social media.
Most of the kids are indoors playing video games, watching movies or shows, scanning through their social media accounts, and not as many are roaming around outside, terrifying neighborhoods using their bicycles or getting stuck in pipes and requiring professional assistance to get unstuck.
For some unspecified reason, that last activity happened to two adolescents this week in Leesburg, Virginia, who decided to check out the inside of a 16-inch stormwater pipe.
The Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) received a call at approximately 2:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, from the 42000 block of Victory Lane reporting a child stuck in a stormwater pipe.
According to the Facebook post of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue:
“At approximately 2:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) received a call from the 42000 block of Victory Lane reporting a child stuck in a storm water pipe,”
LCFR units from Leesburg and command staff were dispatched to the incident. The first arriving personnel found two adolescents trapped in a 16-inch storm water pipe.
“Although the trapped patients were located out of sight of first responders, it was quickly determined both were conscious and alert but unable to escape from the pipe.
“Specialized resources to support confined space rescue operations were requested, bringing additional units from Kincora, Fairfax County, as well as LCFR’s Hazardous Materials Response team from Dulles South.”
The initial responders attempted to verbally guide and support the kids in removing themselves but were unsuccessful.
The confined kids stopped communicating with the responders, so the firefighters made the decision to send one of their colleagues in after them.
Their Facebook post continued:
“After losing verbal contact with the trapped adolescents, LCFR personnel initiated a rapid confined space rescue by deploying a single rescuer with back-up rescuers in place to make contact with the two patients and physically remove them.”
“The two patients were removed at 3:20 p.m. and 3:25 p.m. Following their rescue each were evaluated by advance life support providers on scene and then transported to a local emergency department for further evaluation.”
Both children were then transported to a local emergency department for further evaluation.
Although we may never know what really caused those kids to explore the storm pipe; however, the said post from Loudoun County Fire and Rescue is a sign that the often ill-advised, outdoorsy adolescent spirit of adventure is still alive and well.
Sources: westernjournal, facebook/ Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, newsweek