NEWS RELEASE June 20, 2000 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH100037) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (334) 208-5806/Fax: (334) 208-5813 6 YEAR OLD CHILD'S LEG BECOMES ENTRAPED IN DRAINAGE GRATE Mobile Firefighters responded to a 6-year-old (male) child whose leg became trapped in the grate of a drainage pipe beside the Cochran Africa-Town Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, June 20, 2000. The call was received at approximately 3:11 p.m. The child was returning from a fishing trip from the nearby Mobile River and was running along side the bridge when he accidentally stepped in the grate and trapped his leg. It took firefighters from the Confined Space High Angle Rescue Team a little over an hour to free the child from the stainless steel drainage grates. Firefighters used extrication tools as well as a cutting torch to loosen the stainless steel bars enough to free the child's leg. The leg of the child was injured but did not appear to be life threatening. He was transported to University of South Alabama Medical Center by private ambulance. Engines 21, 8, truck 4, 17 and District 1 Chief John D. Young responded. ###