A longtime firefighter with the Garden City Fire Department was injured in a fall Sunday evening while fighting an attic fire at a home in the 6600 block of Deering.
Engineer Mike Terch, who has been with the department for 19 years, fell some 4 feet as he re-positioned himself on a ladder to better attack an attic fire with a hand line — a foam and water mix. His foot slipped on a step, fell and sustained a number of fractures to his ankle, Fire Chief Catherine Harman said.
His fellow firefighters removed Terch from the house and he was transported to a local hospital and later released in a cast.
"Firefighters wear about 65 pounds of gear. He was up in the attic access fighting fire and maneuvering in that small space is limited. Add 200 feet of one-and-three-quarter-inch hand line/nozzle filled with water and pressurized. It is challenging, and Engineer Terch is a seasoned veteran who has been working with our newer members as they gain more experience," Harman said.
The fire chief said it was difficult to hear that a firefighter was injured, adding that immediately all kinds of thoughts went through her mind. "I had to get to the back of the house and see for myself who it was and the extent of his injury. Mike works very hard at the station, and has a family. He’s not one who likes to sit still and this injury is going to take time to recover from."
The incident began when firefighters were called at 7:35 p.m. about wires down in the 6600 block of Deering. As crews arrived, dispatch services advised them of a roof fire on Cardwell. Harman said shift commander Lt. Corey Chandler could see — from the firefighters' location on Deering — the roof of the Cardwell home with smoke and flames coming from the eaves.
Meanwhile, firefighters saw wires down in the rear of the Deering location and, as the wind picked up Sunday night, several people reported short power outages. Immediately, DTE was requested, Harman said.
"It appears at some point a primary, secondary or both had made contact with the service line, and/or the communication lines. There were signs of arcing and burning around the electrical meter, the riser and the aluminum siding. As they were advancing hand lines and securing a hydrant flames vented through the northwest side of the home," Harman added.
Other firefighters and residents were not injured in the fire.
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