Tower Rescue

Awareness level

Awareness levels shall be permitted to assist in support functions are a tower rescue operations such as ground support but shall not be deployed onto the tower.

Awareness level shall be responsible for removal retrieval of subjects only in cases where climbing the tower is not required and hazards are limited to potential falls.

Organizations operating at the awareness level for tower rescue incidents shall implement procedures for the following:

• Recognizing the need for tower rescue
• Initiating contact and establishing communications with a subject or subjects were possible
• Initiating the emergency response system for tower rescue
• Recognizing different types and purposes of towers with consideration to the given information
• Performing a retrieval without ascending the structure or tower
• Initiating site control and see management
• Recognizing in identifying the hazards associated with tower emergencies
• Recognizing the limitations of conventional emergency response skills and equipment in various tower environments
• Initiating the collection and recording of information necessary to assist operational personnel on a tower rescue
• Identifying and securing any reporting parties and witnesses
• Establishing familiarity with lockout / tag out procedures

Operations level

The organization operating at this level shall be responsible for the development and training of a tower rescue team that is trained, equipped, and available to respond to tower emergencies of a type and complexity where all of the following are true:

• A climbing a ladder, integrated tower safety system, or both, is present, and rescuers can access the subject using available PPE and tower climbing techniques constant with the requirements set forth within this chapter.
• The tower is not structurally compromised
• The site is not effected by hazards other than those related to working at height
• The climb path is not obstructed
• A rescue pre-plan exists for that particular tower site and preparation / planning has been performed with the tower owner / operator
• This subject can be reached and evacuation performed in accordance with the preplanned in such a manner so as to avoid additional hazards, entanglement, or restrictions to the rescue effort
• The tower can accommodate two or more rescuers in addition to the victim
• All hazards in and around the tower have been identified, isolated, and controlled
• The operation is feasible using the equipment or systems with which the organization has been trained
• The height of the tower does not exceed 300 feet

Organizations operating at the operations level shall ensure that at least four individuals who are trained and capable of ensuring and all operations level response are available to respond to a tower incident at any given time, and shall develop and implement procedures for the following:

• Sizing up the existing and potential conditions at a tower incident sites
• Protecting personnel from hazards on and around the tower environment
• Ensuring that personnel are capable of managing the physical and psychological challenges that affect rescuers ascending and climbing towers
• Performing ongoing assessment of conditions affecting the tower rescue operation
• Requesting and interfacing with specialize resources applicable to tower safety
• Placing a team of two rescuers on a tower where existing ladder or step bolts and climbing protection is present, using accepted tower safety methods and procedures consistent with requirements
• Performing the following basic rescue techniques with two rescuers on a tower:
  • Releasing a subject from fall protection
  • Lowering a subject vertically down an unobstructed path
  • Performing a rescue of a subject or methods require up to a 15° deviation from plum and can be performed with the tagline
• Performing selection, care, and use of personal tower climbing equipment
• Procuring the necessary tower site information, including owner and lessor information, site plan, and specific hazard information
• Modifying actions and urgency as applicable to a rescue vs. a recovery
• Acquiring information on current and forecast weather, including temperature, precipitation, lightning potential, and winds
• Recognizing, identifying, and utilizing typical fall protection and safety hardware and software used by tower climbers
• Recognizing the team’s limitations regarding accessing a subject, evacuating a subject, or both
• Recognizing and using engineered anchor points for the rescue operation
• Developing of and adhering to contingency plans when weather or other factors make operations level response ineffective or dangerous to rescuers

Each member of the operations level tower rescue organization who might be responsible for ascending a tower for rescue shall demonstrate competence ease in the press falls and use of the following:

• Job hazard analysis used on tower sites
• 100% fall protection
• Tower anchorages
• Use of energy absorbing lanyards
• Use of work positioning lanyards
• Self-retracting lifelines
• Vertical lifelines for Fall-arrest
• Ladder climbing safety systems
• Horizontal lifelines
• Use of Pre-Climb checklist
• Tower ladder / peg climbing techniques
• Transferring between a ladder and the tower structure
• Selection and use of appropriate rescue equipment and techniques for a given tower rescue situation