FIREFIGHTERS LEARN UPS AND DOWNS OF RESCUE

When an elevator stops working or jams between floors somewhere in Cape Girardeau, trapping someone inside, firefighters typically are the first to hear about it.

That's why Battalion Chief Mark Hasheider, training officer for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, requested the services of a man who is as close to an expert on the topic as there is.

Capt. Mike Arras of the St. Louis Rescue Squad II came to Cape Girardeau to educate local firefighters on the ups and downs of elevator rescue.

"We've had our fair share of practice in this kind of thing. There are a lot of elevators in St. Louis," said Arras. "What I've told the Cape firefighters is not the same kind of thing an elevator mechanic would say, It's from a firefighter standpoint."

Arras spent about an hour and half in a classroom setting telling firefighters about different rescue techniques. Then it was off to the Show Me Center and Towers East residential complex at the university for some hands-on training.

Firefighters were taught the parts and workings of elevators, how to shut them down, how to open the doors and how to get to elevators when they are between floors. The rescue methods Arras taught the firefighters are applicable to about 90 percent of elevator emergencies, he said.

"A lot of times, elevator maintenance people cannot get to the scene as quickly as the fire department," said Arras. "A rescue squad could get to the scene in three or four minutes, but, depending on the time of day, it could take a certified maintenance worker 45 minutes are more to arrive.

"No one wants to be stuck in an elevator any longer than they absolutely have to," he said.

Arras said the key to elevator rescue is that safety always should be the priority.

"You have to make sure the power is cut, and you have to know what you are doing," Arras told the firefighters. "If you don't, someone is liable to get hurt. That someone could be you."

Arras said that all elevators have their "little quirks" and do not always work as designed.

"If people operate elevators properly and don't mess around with them, chances of their breaking down are minimal," said Arras. "Elevators are really one of the safest means of transportation available."

Hasheider said that although the department gets elevator rescue calls sporadically, Thursday's training was important.

"There aren't a lot of elevators in this community -- the university has the most with 29," he said. "But our men can take this training in conjunction with other direction from maintenance people and manufacturers to prepare ourselves for future calls.

"Someday we might even have a member of the department certified as an elevator rescue technician," Hasheider added. "That person would then bring information back to the department to share with everyone. Like today."