A team, a plan and a rescue: Louisville firefighters a week after semi-truck crash

When members of Rescue Company 2 hurtled through the streets of Louisville, lights flashing and sirens whirring, they were formulating a plan.

The Louisville firefighters just learned a multi-vehicle collision on the George Clark Memorial Bridge left a semitruck hanging off; the driver trapped inside the cab.

After arriving, they had a quick briefing to ensure everyone knew what to do, then jumped into action.

While members of Rescue Company 2 prepared for a high-angle rescue, other companies waited in boats in the water with diving equipment if the driver plummeted into the Ohio River.

While that was happening on the bridge, others contacted the Coast Guard to ensure no barges would come through the waterway creating another potential safety hazard.

"We need to make sure that we are keeping everyone out of danger and harm's way," said Capt. Michael Renn of Rescue Company 2.

Firefighters work as a team and this mission was no different.

"We trained together, we work together every day," Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said."You get accustomed to each other. You know that those people — your brothers and sisters — have your back."

That's why when Renn looked at one of his firefighters, Bryce Carden, and asked if he was comfortable with their aerial rescue plan, Carden immediately said yes.

"I trust Capt. Renn with everything," he said. "I looked at him and I said, 'Hey, you just set it up. I trust you.' I had a harness on. I had guys checking over me."

Carden is a Louisville native. He grew up in Valley Station and went to Butler Traditional High School. He knew he wanted to be a firefighter after an internship with the Louisville Metro Arson Bureau. He still lives in Louisville, now with his wife and 17-month-old daughter.

It was a photo of his daughter, Oaklynn, that Carden looked at before he was lowered from a ladder truck by his fellow rescue firefighters to reach the driver.

"I had boats below me and I had multiple companies above me who were running ropes... hauling me in, letting me out, controlling the aerial ladder that let me out to take me down," he said. "It was a test of how well we run."

While Carden was in the air, it was Sgt. Joseph Berrow who controlled the aerial ladder.

"Berrow has no ability to see what's going on," O'Neill said. "So he has to absolutely trust the hand and arm signals that he's getting from the other captains that are by the bridge, to see exactly what's going on down low. And he also has to know that if he makes a mistake in moving that ladder, he could unknowingly cause harm to firefighter Carden or to the victim."

Together, Louisville Fire rescued the driver, whose name has not yet been released.

When Carden's feet hit the pavement, the cold and adrenaline came rushing into him.

"I was in a T-shirt during the run," Carden said. "It was cold, it was raining. Like I said, we were behind the eight ball. So all my gear was on this truck, I jumped on this one.

"I was like, 'Holy crap, what just happened?'"

Renn said watching Carden perform the technical skills in a high-stress environment felt akin to a "proud dad moment."

"He knows that this could be life or death for her," Renn said. "It could be life or death for him or any one of us on scene."

Still, Carden said any one of the other firefighters would have done the same.

"There was 40 people on scene," Carden said. "I know there was 39 other people besides me that would want to go over the edge. They would want to be that person. It wasn't just me that was like, 'Hey, I'll go.' I know every one of these people would hook themselves up and do that if they were called upon."

The experience on that bridge bonded the team — a team Carden joined only three months ago.

"I felt like it strengthened our crew," he said. "When you go through something like that together, now you'd have more trust in each other, like, 'Hey, we know we can get it done.'"

Just hours after the rescue, the department debriefed the mission and discussed what they could have done better.

"I've always known for the last 23 years that we have the best fire department in the universe and now we got to share that with the rest of the world," O'Neill said.

Now, O'Neill hopes this dramatic rescue will show how rewarding it is to be a firefighter.

The department will have a firefighter academy in about a month and a half. People interested in applying can go to the Louisville Fire Department page on LouisvilleKy.gov.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville firefighters recount rescue on Clark Memorial Bridge