The West Hartford Fire Department was able to access the elevator from the floor above.

By Ronni Newton

Members of the West Hartford Fire were able to put some of their unique skills to use on Tuesday night when they were called into action for an animal rescue – not a cat in a tree, but two dogs and a person in an elevator.

“When elevators fail and leashes derail … we adapt,” members of the West Hartford Firefighters Local 1241 posted on their Facebook page regarding the incident.

One of the rescued dogs is handed up to a West Hartford firefighter through the hatch of the elevator. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

Deputy Chief Russell Duffy told We-Ha.com on Wednesdsay morning that an entangled leash caused an elevator door in the condominium building at 34 Schoolhouse Street to become disabled. “The interior door came off the track,” Duffy said.

Dispatchers received the call at 9:14 p.m. Tuesday, and members of Squad 1 and Truck 3 responded to the scene.

Using their 11-step elevator rescue protocol, crews were able to access the elevator from the floor above, and insert a ladder through the escape hatch on the elevator ceiling.

Firefighters entered the elevator through the hatch, and handed the dogs to other crew members waiting above. The person with the dogs was able to climb the ladder to safety on their own, Duffy said.

The West Hartford Department approached a stuck elevator from the floor above, and two dogs and a person were able to be rescued through a ladder placed into the hatch Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

There were no injuries – to dogs or humans – the West Hartford Fire Department reported, giving “special thanks to Winston and Teddy for being good boys!”

This is the type of incident, while uncommon, that is part of the West Hartford Fire Department training. “These incidents require extensive training in elevator operations, technical rescue, patient management, and hazard control – skills our members train for year-round,” the Facebook post states.

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