RECOLLECTIONS OF MALEN (JIM) JACOBS, Truck Company 28



Frank J. Harrison, Jr. of Truck 3 and I were working on a recall company (put into service due the riot) at the scene of the structure collapse that had trapped two fellow firemen, Robert Laxague and Warren E. Tilson. The marquee and concrete front wall of a market had collapsed outward onto the sidewalk and into the gutter. The Department heavy utilities ( HU6 and HU27) were both called to the scene for their jackhammers and other heavy rescue equipment. Fearing further injury to the firemen under the wreckage, fireman Harrison and I decided to try and locate the men prior to using the jackhammers. We took off our turnouts and even our shoes and squeezed into a tiny space in the gutter under the debris. Crawling with our shoulders pressed against the curb with me leading the way we found Warren Tilson lying on the sidewalk, under the debris, deceased. A short distance ahead we found Bob Laxague in the gutter like ourselves but cured in a fetal position. He was alive but firmly pinned by the concrete debris and unable to move. It was decided to try and lift the debris instead of jack hammering down to him. I asked for a hydraulic jack which was passed to Frank Harrison and from him to me. The space was so tight that I had to use my toes to pull the jack forward, gradually working it past my body and in position. The same process was used for (shoring) blocks and the jack handle. The long tedious process paid off, the jack was strong enough to take the pressure off fireman Laxague. I grabbed Laxague and pulled him free and hung onto him while Harrison pulled me by the feet. We were able to inch our way out from under the debris safely.