CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Though people don’t often get trapped in trenches, construction workers are in them all the time, and trench walls caving in could be a life threatening situation.

Firefighters practice the rare rescue mission because even small mistakes could spiral it out of control.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department calls it a ‘high risk, low frequency’ rescue.

“You get 800 pounds of dirt on top of you, it doesn’t take much to hurt a guy,” said Wes Platz, a Cedar Rapids firefighter.

Platz hasn’t ever done an actual trench rescue, but he has been in plenty of them working construction.

“Any kind of septic lines, water lines, really any type of utility that’s going into the ground, this is an everyday thing for any guy that works in excavation,” Platz said.

Trench Rescues

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