Captain Scott Walsh of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department suffered serious injuries Monday morning after falling 25-feet while fighting a blaze at the Pleasanton Garbage Service Transfer Station in the 3100 block of Busch Road.
Walsh, who has been with department for more than 20 years, is currently in the intensive care unit at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto where he is being treated for multiple fractures and internal injuries. At about 1:30 a.m. Monday morning he was flown from the accident site to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley where he was stabilized and then transferred to Stanford. He has undergone some minor surgeries to repair broken bones from the fall, said Fire Chief Bill Cody.
“It’s a very touch and go situation,” Cody said. “But he looks much better than when I saw him being placed on the helicopter that night.”
Firefighters were responding to a reported water flow alarm at the transfer station at 1 a.m. Monday when they found a pile of rubbish 20 feet wide and 10 feet thick that was on fire, said acting Division Chief Barry Rose. The situation was upgraded to a first alarm fire and six engines and two trucks with about 30 firefighters were sent on the scene. Walsh was helping fight the fire when he stepped into an open pit used to hold garbage waiting to be transferred, falling 25 feet and landing on the concrete surface, Rose said.
Members of the department are doing everything they can to help Walsh’s wife and two children who are staying with Walsh at Stanford, Rose said.
“We thank the community for their good thoughts,” Cody said. Flowers are not allowed in the intensive care unit, but community members can send cards to any of the fire department’s stations or City Hall.
