UPDATE: Worker Falls From Eighth Story at Bowline Power Plant

Yitzy Fried 

UPDATE: February 7 - 2:45 p.m.

Thiells Fire Chief Daniel Coughlin shares that the worker's fall at the Bowline Power Plant was reported at about 5:18 this morning. The West Haverstraw Fire Department was dispatched to the scene for a person who had fallen into a boiler, sustaining life-threatening injuries and needing extraction.  

The initial dispatch was for West Haverstraw Village Hall, but the location was later updated to the Bowline Power Plant, which is under the auspices of the Thiells Roseville Fire District. 

Upon arrival, emergency personnel noted that a worker had fallen from the eighth floor to the second floor where he had landed inside a boiler hopper.  The firefighters were able to pinpoint where in the ducting the victim was by listening for breathing and calling his cell phone. The firefighters then breached the steel ductwork in the right location to gain access to the victim.  

The Rockland County Technical Rescue Team was tasked with setting up a rope system for a secondary extraction method, while the Rockland County Hazardous Materials Team was requested for air monitoring equipment. 

Once the victim was extracted from the boiler ducts, he was brought to a waiting ambulance so he could be transported to the nearby landing zone for a medical helicopter for transport to Westchester Medical Center shortly around 8 a.m.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.  

This morning, at about 5:00 am, the West Haverstraw Fire Department received a call about a worker who had plummeted into a hopper from eight stories high at the Genon Bowline Power Plant on Samdondale Avenue in West Haverstraw. 

As the area falls under the jurisdiction of the Thiells Fire Department, both departments responded to the area to attempt to locate the victim and evacuate him. 

Getting to the victim was not easy as he was trapped by a boiler. Despite the heroic efforts of the Rockland County Technical Rescue Rope Team, they were unsuccessful in their efforts to lift him out, leading the rescuers to cut through sheet metal, insulation, and 1/4-inch steel ductwork to breach the wall and extract the injured party. 

The victim was evacuated by chopper to Westchester Medical Center. His condition is unknown.

Photo Credit: Google Earth