IAFF Members Respond to Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

August 3, 2007 – When the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed during rush hour on August 1, 2007, fire fighters from IAFF locals throughout the metro-region were among the first on the scene. Fire responders took immediate action, putting out vehicle fires, bringing victims to safety and engaging in swift water rescues. 

“Fire fighters are trained to handle multi-role emergency response,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “Our brothers and sisters in Minnesota – whether on-duty or off-duty – know they have a job to do, and they do it.” 

Many fire fighters remain on the scene, and will continue with recovery efforts until all the victims are found. “I am proud of the job they are doing, and I pledge the full support of the International as they continue to do what they do best,” says Schaitberger. 

Initially, a crew of Minneapolis Local 82 members was dispatched, but it quickly became clear that all of the City’s available fire fighters were needed on the scene. Deploying 22 of the City’s 26 rigs, both on-duty and off-duty fire fighters responded. 

Tom Thornberg, president of Minneapolis Local 82, was on duty. “My rig was in the second wave of response,” he explains. “When we first arrived, we were shocked by the magnitude of the disaster. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.”  

As other Local 82 members – as well as members of Coon Rapids Local 1935, Richfield Local 1215, Edina Local 1275 and Saint Paul Local 21 – arrived at the scene, fire fighters extinguished vehicle fires, took swift water rescue boats into the water to search for victims and administered medical care to the injured. 

The injured were transported to the hospital within an hour and twenty minutes. “Considering where they were, and that many of them had to be extricated, that’s impressive,” notes Thornberg. 

“They did an incredible job without thinking about their own safety,” he continues. “I saw our local members do some incredible stuff. Fire fighters were all over that bridge, even while we didn’t know how stable it was.” 

Once the initial response was complete, Local 82’s rescue team continued to operate from the scene. Late during the night of August 2, they pulled the fifth victim, a tractor-trailer driver, from the wreckage.

General President Schaitberger and IAFF 5th District Vice President Joe Conway have reached out to fire fighters and offered all of the resources available in the IAFF arsenal.