Video shows northern Colorado firefighters rescue drowning man from basement

A northern Colorado man is lucky to be alive after drowning in his apartment at the end of May. The man, a 62-year-old Greeley resident, was rescued by Greeley Fire Department firefighters at the end of May after a historic hail and rainstorm.

The storm happened on May 28, pummeling downtown Greeley with more than four inches of rain and feet of hail in just a matter of two hours. Much of the flooding, which later resulted in a disaster declaration, took place after the drainage system clogged in the aging corner of Greeley.

Greeley Fire Chief Brian Kuznik said hundreds of 911 calls came in during the storm as some residents were trapped in their homes while others were stranded while standing on top of their submerged vehicles.

"The number of calls for people stranded in basements continued to come in," Kuznik said. "The 911 system became overloaded and the entire fire department was out responding to these calls for assistance."

Firefighters were driving to a call they were dispatched to near downtown when a woman flagged them down. The firefighters followed their intuition and stopped their truck in order to see what the woman needed.

The woman told them her neighbor was unaccounted for and the floor he lived on was filling with water. So, the firefighters parked their truck and checked on the man.

"The crews reported there was floor-to-ceiling flooding in the garden-level apartment," Kuznik said.

The apartment in question is garden-level, meaning a majority of the unit is below ground level.

The firefighters jumped into the shoulder-high water, covered with floating hail, and looked into the apartment window. When they did they saw the 62-year-old man floating face-down in the water.

"That is when our crews forced complete entry," Kuznik said. "This was a high-risk operation."

Firefighters were eventually able to break open the front door to the unit which was filled with more than five feet of water. The man floating in the water was unresponsive with his face underwater, Kuznik said.

The firefighters were able to grab the man and rotate him to be face-up and reported he started to show signs of life as they tried to pull him out of the apartment and into the parking lot.

Lifesaving measures were taken and then paramedics rushed the man to the hospital. He survived, was given medical attention for months and is now preparing to move back to his home.

As for the firefighters who rescued him, some have called their actions were heroic.

"That type of rescue is not common," Kuznik said.

The four firefighters who rescued the 62-year-old were recently recognized for their actions, given awards for placing service above self.

"The alternative was to do nothing, and that is not in our DNA," Kuznik said.