High-angle rescue by FFD

Franklin Fire Department personnel rescued a worker at a tower site in Berwick Wednesday.
According to Chief Chuck Bourgeois, the department was asked to assist the Berwick Fire Department around 3:30 p.m. The tower is located at the Jessie Fontenot Boat Landing in Berwick.
A-Tech Systems, of Laurel, Maryland, was performing maintenance on the radio tower site when service technician Gary Leger, 39, of Patterson, was overcome by the high temperatures and experienced heat exhaustion.
Unable to descend the 100-foot ladder, he called 911 for help.
“The closest ladder truck in our area was 20-feet shy of reaching him so we called for Franklin’s 107-foot aerial for assistance,” Berwick Fire Chief Allen Rink said.
Franklin Assistant Chief Jeff Hildreth added, “We used every bit of our the ladder to reach the victim.” Once the ladder was in position, Franklin EMT Firefighter Adam Fangue climbed the ladder and made contact with Mr. Leger. He was placed at the tip of the ladder and secured, then lowered to the ground.”
Leger was assisted by Acadian Ambulance and transported to a local hospital for treatment. The St. Mary Sheriff’s Office and Patterson and Morgan City Fire Departments also assisted.