STATter 911

The water was flowing at about 150,000 gpm. That's the estimate from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) when a 66-inch water main gave way on River Road in Montgomery County, Maryland Tuesday morning.

Many people across the country and around the world saw the rescues as they were happening on TV and the Internet. We have compiled a few things you may not have seen or heard, or had access to.

Here is a very rough timeline (the times of the rescues are approximate and are more to give you the sequence of events). Nine people in cars and one firefighter were rescued:

7:54 An off-duty Frederick County, MD firefighter makes the first 911 call

7:55 Engine 710 with Lt. Bill Phelps discovers the backup on River Road and radios in at the same time his unit is contacted by dispatchers.

7:57 First woman calls saying she is trapped.

8:00 Over the next minutes the crew of Engine 710 rescues the first four people who are stranded.

8:30 Maryland State Police Trooper 2, with Pilot Jim MacKay and Sgt. Nathan Wheelock, works to rescue three people.

9:00 Lt. Pat Mitchell works to rescue two people using a tethered boat.

9:20 The boat Lt. Mitchell used to make the rescues is swamped and he needs assistance.

9:40 Lt. Mitchell is hoisted from River Road by US Park Police Eagle 1's crew of Sgt. Kevin Chittick (pilot) and Sgt. Jeffrey Hertel.

Below is the initial radio traffic from the scene from Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service (each clip will have to be downloaded):

7A - Engine 710 discovers water main break

7A - dispatch of call

7G - size-up by Lt. Bill Phelps, Engine 710

7G - first five minutes

7G - second five minutes

Below are more links to videos, 911 calls and other news coverage of the rescues:

US Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter crew talk about rescue of Lt. Pat Mitchell

First 911 call (from an off-duty Frederick County, MD firefighter)

911 call from woman stranded in car with water rising over her knees

911 call from woman trapped in car with her 9-year-old son

Part 1 of raw video of rescue operation (MD State Police chopper rescues three)

Part 2 of raw video of rescue operation (Lt. Pat Mitchell rescues two and is then lifted out of the water)

More 9NEWS NOW videos

# posted by Dave Statter @ 10:26 PM