Sunday, December 30, 2012 Wednesday December 26th 2012, at 2102 the Carlisle Fire Company in Milford, Delaware was dispatched to a reported working building fire in a three story furniture store. Units arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and fire conditions on all three floors of the structure. A third alarm was transmitted for the incident bringing in 2 additional ladder trucks, and multiple engines. Approximately five minutes into the incident the crew was trying to make access into the structure through what appeared to be a garage door.
After making entry a firefighter stepped into what to was thought to be a service bay but turned out to be a ten foot drop into a elevator shaft (with a running vent saw in hand). Captain Justin Konesey transmitted a MAYDAY instantly as crews immediately pulled the uninjured firefighter back out of the elevator shaft onto the sidewalk beside the structure. The crew regrouped and entered into another doorway to continue with fire suppression. Crews continued to work for three hours to bring the incident under control with no other injuries.

Great work by Captain Konesey on his quick thinking and response on the transmitted MAYDAY