Fireboat 15 Saves 2 on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve 2022, in treacherous conditions, Delaware City Fire Company’s Fireboat 15 saved two mariners from theirdamaged boat in the Delaware River. At 1841, in freezing conditions, Fireboat 15 and 18 Marine 1 (Goodwill), along with Trooper4 and New Jersey units, were dispatched to the Delaware Riverin the area of the Hope Creek Generating Station fora watercraft in distress. It was reported that a 40-foot vessel had lost steering, striking a channel markerand then running aground on the jetty with two people aboard. Overcoming frozen buckets and throttles, little visibility, and a layerof ice forming on everything exposed to the elements, Fireboat 15 crew was able to maneuveralongside the vessel and take the two crew members on board in less than an hour. They were uninjured and were safely transported back to Delaware City. Great teamwork by Trooper4 (locating the vessel and guiding FB15 in) and 18 Marine 1 battling the conditions in an open hulled boat.

- Submitted by Jeff Sands

Rescue with Medevac in Rockford Park

On December30, 2022, at approximately 1451, the New Castle County Paramedics and a St. Francis Hospital EMS ambulance were requested to respond to the 2000 block of Lookout Drive in Rockford Park in the City of Wilmington forthe report of a subject who was injured off a walking path. Due to the nature of the call an engine from the Wilmington Fire Department also made the initial response. Paramedics and Wilmington firefighters, arrived to find a 69-year-old man, who had fallen down a steep incline, in a rocky, unsettled area off the walking path. His location made access difficult, and a rescue response was requested by the Wilmington Fire Department, adding specialized technicians to aid in the rescue of the man. The Delaware State Police helicopterwas requested to the scene fortransport. The man was treated by the New Castle County Paramedics forhis injuries, while rescue personnel prepared forhis extrication from the location. The man was extracted up an approximately 200-foot hill and was then flown to a local trauma centerin serious condition.

- Submitted by Abigail Haas