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Firefighters Cut Open Vernon School Slide to Free 40-Year-Old Man

He declined hospital transport after an on-scene evaluation.

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Overview

  • Emergency crews were dispatched just after 4:30 p.m. Saturday to Northeast Elementary School in Vernon, Connecticut, for a confined-space rescue.
  • Responders found the man wedged feet and head first about halfway down the enclosed tube and used ventilation to lower temperatures while providing oxygen.
  • Firefighters stabilized the structure, cut away a section of the plastic slide with power tools, and freed him in roughly 30 minutes.
  • The operation damaged the playground equipment, which was partially dismantled to reach the man.
  • The fire department posted photos and praised the professionalism of firefighters, EMS, and police, and officials have not explained how the incident occurred or released the man's name.