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07/02/2003
SAFETY & EDUCATION
Tower rescue has been a topic I have talked about before in this column. It's a hot topic among tower guys because we all realize that the possibility of needing a rescue always exists, and we are often in places where rescue is a long way off. We had a tragic example of that in Nebraska about a year ago when an injured man was assumed dead and left on the tower over 1000? up. The real tragedy is that his fellow crewmembers were unable to get him down on their own, and either unable or unwilling to help the rescue squad. It was 12 hours later that the man was finally recovered, having died of his injuries.
We are the ones that routinely climb towers, raise and lower loads, and understand all of the nuances of work at extreme heights. We are the ones that are in the best position to get an injured fellow worker off a tower. Too often there is an embarrassing or tragic end to the story of a tower injury. But having said that, maybe we don't always hear about the stories with a happy ending.
I recently read one such story and got permission to repeat it here. This happened to a fellow NATE member:
"Let me begin by saying that 4 or 5 years ago the "safety train"
came barreling down the tracks. It was get on or get out of the way. I ran as hard as I could to beat that sucker to the next station, but it was too big and moved too fast. So I jumped on board. It took awhile to get used to everything, it certainly wasn't easy to change or lose my "bad habits" and I was chewed out many times, but I think it is for the best and here is why:
Unfortunately we were in a rescue situation the other day. On what was the hottest day of the year to date one of my men on the tower suffered from apparent heat exhaustion. His partner noticed that he had stopped sweating and was having trouble concentrating. Within seconds he started vomiting and became extremely dizzy. All of our crew members are trained yearly in first aid, have been fall protection and tower rescue certified and practice rescue procedures regularly. There had been a toolbox meeting that morning, and because of the expected temperatures, we had a refresher on recognizing signs of heat injuries and how to respond. As always, the first pick on this job was the Kermantle rope for rescue and the safety line. There is always a nosebag with a Fisk descender and extra 'biners to be used only in case of rescue on the tower.
The man up top quickly and efficiently was able to bring the afflicted man down from the tower in the exact manner we had practiced so many times before. The men on the ground knew exactly what to do for the guy once he was down. There was never a moment of panic, and the man was just fine. This was accomplished because the men had the necessary training and practice and the right tools and gear to do the job that needed to be done. I can't begin to tell you how proud I was that everyone knew how and what to do.
I have seen that for the guys who learn how to climb and work on towers using all the safety gear from the very beginning don't have nearly as much trouble as the guy who after 10 or 15 years is "finally forced" to use the same gear. I constantly strive to gain knowledge, even at my 10th first aid class, or 6th fall protection class I usually end up learning something new. To me, that makes it worthwhile.
Times change and it is natural for humans to desire and make improvements. Look at how we wage war today compared to the past. The soldier who is injured is rescued and cared for in unprecedented ways, lowering the agony and suffering of our men in the field and raising the value of each individual. It doesn't lessen our respect for their efforts because they don't lie by the hundreds bleeding out on the battlefield; rather we are more impressed by their professionalism and diligence. It is the same with us. We don't have less respect for the tower hand who has not spent time in a tree-trimmer belt after a five-minute training session, but rather are impressed by the crew that can efficiently and safely go up and down the tower with all hands no matter what happens.
Todd Thorin serves as Chairman of the NATE Safety & Education Committee and is the Director of Safety and Training for Sioux Falls Tower and Communications of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He can be reached at
605-331-6972 or todd@siouxfallstower.com
Todd Thorin
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