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Rockford Fire Captain recovering after fall

ROCKFORD (WREX) - A Rockford Fire Captain credits his family and brothers and sisters on the department for his quick recovery from a serious injury. Captain Joe Cascio was hurt during a training exercise with new recruits. He still has a ways to go, the doctors told Cascio he wouldn't be back at work for at least six months.

A little more than 2 weeks ago he was teaching a ladder class to new recruits, slipped on a wet shingle, and fell from the roof of a house to the ground. ‘It wasn't now covered it wasn't ice, it was just wet that's all it was and never saw it and I started to slide.’

Captain Cascio says he decided as he was sliding down the roof to try to land on his feet, then roll to absorb the impact. But instead his heels took the brunt. The force crushed two disks in his back and broke his tailbone. ‘I was able to wiggle my toes move my feet but I was in pretty excruciating pain at that time with my back.’

Several other firefighters and paramedics where there when he fell. Cascio was taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital right way. He went in to surgery one day later. Cascio's family and fire department colleagues have been by his side, ever since. ‘The emotional support that gave not only myself but my wife and family is just unmentionable, I can not, I can not thank these people enough.’

Fire Chief Derek Bergsten says, ‘We're glad he's doing great. He has his big smile back he's up walking around and making a great recovery, we wish him well.’

Chief Bergsten says they haven't had someone hurt like this since 1984. That's when two firefighters fell through the roof of a house and were out of work for almost a year.

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