Iowa

Trained dogs join search at Davenport, Iowa, collapsed building

Published

12 months ago

June 2, 2023

Trained dogs join search at Davenport, Iowa, collapsed building

A team of highly-trained dogs have been deployed to assist in rescue efforts at a partially collapsed building in Davenport, Iowa, where three people are missing, officials announced Thursday night.

The dogs are referred to as “live and cadaver canines,” trained to detect humans, alive or dead, city officials said.

The team had been in contact with city officials since the collapse on Sunday, Chief Rick Halleran, director of Iowa Task Force One, said at a press conference Friday. Members of the task force were mobilized to assist in the early stages of rescue and recovery.

Officials made a formal request for the team’s assistance for additional support with recovery operations Wednesday. The state’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force returned the next day.

“We had to get some groundwork and things in place before we could have the team back,” Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten said. “The first 24 to 36 hours we were there, the facility was in a constant state of motion and we had to allow the building to settle before we could formalize a solid plan before we could have their team come back in and actually move forward.”

Officials said almost 50 people were helping with the effort.

“That search was completed before sundown last night and that has allowed us to move to the next phase of our mission, shoring, securing the building for control and recovery,” Halleran said. “Iowa Task Force One has installed exterior shoring on the walls deemed unsafe by our engineers.”

When asked if anything had been discovered, Halleran said he couldn’t disclose that yet.

The six-story apartment building collapsed shortly before 5 p.m. local time Sunday. Authorities had initially said five people were missing, but Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said Thursday that two of them have since been contacted and are safe. One moved out a month ago and was found in Texas, and the other was found locally.

The three missing residents were identified as Branden Colvin, 42, Ryan Hitchcock, 51, and Daniel Prien, 60. The three men were described as having a “high probability” of being home when the building partially collapsed.

Seven people were rescued early, officials said, and another was later pulled out. More than a dozen others were escorted out of the building as they were “self evacuating,” Carlsten said.

The city later released documents, including structural engineering reports, that show the building’s owner was warned that parts of the building were unstable.

An engineer’s report dated May 24, just days before the collapse, suggested patches in the west side of the building’s brick façade “appear ready to fall imminently” and could be a safety hazard to cars or passersby.

The engineer’s report also detailed that window openings, some filled and some unfilled, were insecure. In one case, the openings were “bulging outward” and looked “poised to fall.” Inside the first floor, unsupported window openings help “explain why the façade is currently about to topple outward.”

“The brick façade is unlikely to be preserved in place, but it can be brought down in a safe, controlled manner,” the report said.

Andrew Wold, the building’s owner, released a statement saying “our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants” and that his company, Davenport Hotel LLC, is working with agencies to help them.

Michael Roppolo

Michael Roppolo is a CBS News reporter. He covers a wide variety of topics, including science and technology, crime and justice, and disability rights.

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Iowa

Go Iowa Awesome – COMMIT: Iowa Lands 2025 PWO Quarterback, Ryan Fitzgerald

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Go Iowa Awesome – COMMIT: Iowa Lands 2025 PWO Quarterback, Ryan Fitzgerald

IOWA CITY — The Iowa football program landed the commitment of 2025 preferred walk-on quarterback, Ryan Fitzgerald on Friday afternoon. Fitzgerald is the son of former Northwestern head coach, Pat Fitzgerald and is a product of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois.

A heavily recruited quarterback at the Group of 5 and FCS levels, Fitzgerald chose the walk-on opportunity over a variety of scholarship offers from programs like Toledo, Temple, Northern Illinois, Akron, Ball State, Illinois State and others.

During his junior campaign for the Ramblers, Fitzgerald finished with 2,690 yards and 34 touchdowns. He led Loyola Academy to its second-straight state title, finishing the season with a 14-0 record, and was named the Conference Player of the Year for his efforts.

Fitzgerald’s commitment comes exactly a week following his teammate, scholarship 2025 ATH Drew MacPherson. He is the first PWO commit of the 2025 recruiting cycle for Iowa and joins scholarship quarterback and three-star gun-slinger, Jimmy Sullivan in the class.

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Iowa

Iowa Park vs Jacksboro – Regional Quarterfinals, game 1

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Iowa Park vs Jacksboro – Regional Quarterfinals, game 1

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – The Jacksboro Tigers and the Iowa Park Hawks meet every year in regular district play. This year they meet again with the chance to go to the regional semifinals.

Game one was held at Hoskins field in Wichita Falls on Friday night. Both starting pitchers had great games that kept the score tied at zero through five innings.

Jacksboro would eventually score first in the fifth inning and never look back.

The Tigers get the win, 5-0. Game two is Saturday at 2pm in Graham.

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Iowa

HEAT team brings added manpower to law enforcement agencies in NW Iowa, SW Minnesota

Published

16 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

HEAT team brings added manpower to law enforcement agencies in NW Iowa, SW Minnesota

IOWA GREAT LAKES (KTIV) – Much of Northwest Iowa is made up of smaller, rural communities. Many of those came together to create a SWAT unit, in a partnership that’s lasted decades.

The High-Risk Entry and Arrest Team, or HEAT, is made up of law enforcement officers from 28 agencies, including 11 sheriff’s offices and 17 police departments. The team covers nearly 6,500 square miles across 12 counties in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, serving nearly 132,000 people. Averaging between 6 and 12 calls per year, the team is called in whenever necessary.

The High Risk Entry and Arrest Team, or HEAT, is made up of law enforcement officers from 28 agencies, including 11 sheriff’s offices and 17 police departments.(KTIV)

It’s a partnership that was created in the 90s to ensure no matter the incident, trained and skilled officers would be ready to serve at a moments notice.

“The chiefs and sheriffs of the region got together and knew that they couldn’t support a tactical team on their own,” said HEAT Commander Todd Schillinger, also an officer with the Arnolds Park Police Department. “So they pooled their resources, which was a great idea. And that just happened to happen in northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota. You get across that state lines, but all those things were taken care of back in the late 90s. The team went operational in 1999. And we’ve been going and growing since then.”

Schillinger helps coordinate coverage when a department needs the assistance on a call.

“They can range from high-risk arrest warrants to barricaded suspects, high-risk drug warrants, anything that the agencies aren’t either equipped or have the manpower or the training for, we act as that support unit,” he explained. “Without that, without that support team, I don’t know. You just couldn’t pull that many trained people in with specialty equipment with the smaller departments.”

Schillinger says having a close relationship with so many different agencies in the region has been a big benefit for not only the fellow officers, but their communities as well.

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