At the June 2021 Lancaster County Firemen’s Association Convention, the Witmer Fire Protective Association received the Distinguished Unit Award for the efforts in rescuing a 15-year-old male in a farm accident.
Photo Credit: Blaine Shahan, LNP
On June 15, 2020, Witmer Fire was dispatched to assist Lafayette Fire with a tractor that rolled over onto a 15-year-old male down a small bank and into a stream. Engine 62-1 and Squad responded with seven firefighters plus our duty officer. Engine 1’s crew advanced to the incident immediately and assisted with the stabilization. Squad’s crew along with the duty officer, utilized their 4 wheel drive units to move equipment from the additional rescue units on the street to the scene in the field.
Witmer, along with Lafayette, Ronks, Bird-in-Hand, East Lampeter Police and Lancaster EMS, had many obstacles to overcome. The patient was pinned under a tractor, partially submerged in the creek. Access to the scene was restricted by 6” wooden fence posts driven into the ground. The scene was approximately 500 feet away from the hard road.
A true team effort, the patient was able to be freed from beneath the tractor and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The victim only had minor injuries.
From L: L. Miller, C. Kauffman, C. Miller & R. Lapp (Not Pictured: Jones, King, Kreider & Stoltzfus)
Engine 1
- Deputy Chief Lapp
- Chief Engineer L. Miller
- FF D. Jones
- FF J.L. King
Squad 1
- FF J. Kreider
- FF C. Miller
- FF D. Stoltzfus
Duty Officer
- Assistant Chief Kauffman
