Engine 36 and Rescue 38 Set Up Landing Zone for Life Star Helicopter After Severe Collision

Bantam, CT - First responders from the Bantam Fire Company joined mutual aid partners in the neighboring town of Washington on Thursday afternoon, managing patient care and securing an emergency helicopter landing zone following a serious multi-vehicle crash with entrapment along the New Milford Turnpike.

Apparatus were dispatched during the afternoon of Thursday, October 22, 2026, to support the Washington Volunteer Fire Department and the Washington Ambulance Association at the scene of a high-impact, multi-car collision.

Due to confirmed entrapment and the severity of injuries reported, regional dispatch requested the dispatch of a Life Star critical care medical helicopter to expedite transport.

Bantam responded with Rescue 38, Engine 36, and Ambulance 39. While Washington personnel mounted extrication operations to safely remove trapped individuals from the damaged vehicles, crews aboard Bantam Engine 36 and Rescue 38 established and secured a designated landing zone nearby, ensuring clear approach vectors for the landing aircraft.

Concurrently, medical personnel from Bantam Ambulance 39 conducted rapid triage and clinical assessments on scene to stabilize patients alongside Washington EMS.