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No EMS Rigs Available So Kids Are Rushed to Hospital In Detroit Fire Truck; One Dies

January 29, 2013, 8:40 AM

Officials say a 6-year-old boy is dead and another is hospitalized after they were pulled out of a burning home in southwest Detroit Tuesday morning.

Authorities say crews responded to a fire at a residence on Tarnow Street, just north of I-94, around 7:05 a.m. No adults were in the house, they said.

Officials say the children were taken to Henry Ford Hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead. The extent of the injuries to the other child, a 4-year-old boy, is unknown.

Fire fighters said it was unclear how long it would take for an EMS rig to arrive so they rushed the children to the hospital in a fire truck -- Rescue Squad 4 -- that is not designed for such an emergency use, and rarely used for such a purpose. 

"They were cute kids," one firefighter said. "They were in the upstairs bathroom, behind the door. You do whatever you can to save them, and we saved one. It's in God's hands now."

Firefighters performed CPR on the children and gave them oxygen.

A Detroit rescue squad carries Jaws of Life and other emergency equipment but are not eqipped to transport victims. 

Firefighters initially were unaware there were people in the house at first and had not summoned EMS.

WDIV-TV's Karen Drew reported Tuesday afternoon that the nearest available EMS unit was 14 1/2 miles away at the time  firefighters discovered the children. One closer unit was sent to a call for back pain; another unit within striking distance was broken down.

Channel 4 reported a story Monday night about how many EMS units are awaiting repair -- a long-running story in Detroit.

Fire Commissioner Donald Austin told Drew he didn't see any chance of buying new EMS units, given the state of Detroit's finances. 


Read more:  WWJ/Deadline Detroit


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