After working more than nine hours in a confined underground space Catoosa County firefighters working with multiple partners freed a man who was trapped inside a partially-clogged storm drain beneath Georgia Highway 2 in the City of Fort Oglethorpe.
Just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Catoosa County 911 received a call from a motorist reporting hearing a man calling for help inside a storm drain under Georgia Highway 2 near the intersection of Highway 27 (Lafayette Road). Fort Oglethorpe Police arrived and called for assistance from Catoosa County Fire Department. Upon arrival, Catoosa County firefighters determined the man was trapped inside a 24-inch drainpipe underneath Georgia Highway 2 and called for additional fire companies including the department’s Special Operations team and Walker County Fire Rescue.
Firefighters determined the storm drain was about 50% clogged with debris that accumulated over time that was of a heavy, rocky, clay consistency. For more than nine hours firefighters working with hand tools dug through the debris, with the assistance of a vacuum truck from Fort Oglethorpe Public Works to remove the material.
During the entire rescue operation, Thomas Loher, 22, was conscious and communicating with firefighters. He was reported missing by his family Tuesday morning. Mr. Loher is believed to have been trapped since Monday when for unknown reasons he entered the storm drain several hundred feet away from where he became trapped. He was freed and taken by Puckett EMS to a hospital for evaluation and treatment.
“Thanks to our firefighters putting their confined space rescue training to work and the assistance from several partnering agencies, this lengthy and technical rescue has a successful outcome,” said Catoosa County Fire Chief Daniel Walston. “I am proud of how everyone involved worked together to save this young man’s life.”
Chief Walston thanked these partnering agencies:
Walker County Fire Rescue; Fort Oglethorpe Police Department; Fort Oglethorpe Public Works; Puckett EMS; Erlanger Special Operations Team and Life Force Air Medical; Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office; Walker County Sheriff's Office; Georgia State Patrol; Georgia Department of Transportation; Hamilton County Rescue Rehab; and Tri State Mutual Aid.