Courtesy Photo Members of the Alpena Fire Department rescue a machine operator in a bulldozer rollover incident at the Holcim-Alpena plant early this morning.

ALPENA — Alpena Firefighters responded to an emergency call on Monday night to rescue a man trapped in a bulldozer after it plunged 50 feet into the top of a hill at the Holcim-Alpena Plant.

At approximately 11:58 p.m. on Monday evening, the Holcim-Alpena Plant requested The Alpena Fire Department for a rescue in a bulldozer rollover incident, according to a Jan. 28 press release.

Upon arrival, crews were advised that a bulldozer working the top of a pile slid into a steep gravity fed funnel of looser stone material that is fed into a bottom conveyor system with the machine operator still in the bulldozer. The bulldozer remained at the bottom of the center of the pile which was approximately 50 feet from the top.

Plant personnel contacted the machine operator by radio, fire command was told. The machine operator did not seem to have any life-threatening injuries at the time of contact.

The agencies involved in the rescue decided to lower a rescuer from the suspended conveyor system into the hole to the victim through a unified command. A lowering and haul system was set up for patient access and removal.

One Alpena Fire Department rescuer was lowered into the hole, accessed the victim, performed a quick assessment, and placed the victim into a harness to prepare for raising out of the hole for treatment and transport, according to the press release.

The rescue efforts were successful, and the victim was safely removed from the incident and transported to MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena’s Emergency Department for further care and evaluation.

The Alpena Fire Department responded with eight on-duty shift personnel, the Deputy Chief, and Fire Chief with two off-duty personnel called in to staff the station.

Assisting at the scene were Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center Fire Department personnel, Alpena Police, Michigan State Police, Holcim-Alpena plant personnel, and the Alpena County 911 Central Dispatch.

Crews cleared the scene at approximately 4 a.m.

The identity of the machine operator and the extent of the injuries are unknown at this time.