IN THE FIELD
By Brent Wise
After a Fall: Don’t Leave Your Buddy Hanging Equipping on site personnel to save a life
Instructor Carlos Garza (in red) and Derr & Isbell Construction team members conduct self and assisted rescue descents during training. Photo ©Tech Safety Lines, Inc.
W
hen you’re up high on a job site, there’s no more terrifying sound than the yell of your buddy as he or she goes over the edge. If the person is wearing OSHA-mandated safety gear, he or she won’t fall far. But once someone is dangling in the air, that person is still counting on you to save his or her life. Brent Wise is a career firefighter who has spent 31 years with the Dallas Fire Department and currently serves as Captain of the Dallas Technical Rescue Team. He is Co-Founder and COO for Tech Safety Lines, Inc.(TSL), a fall protection, rescue training and equipment company based in Carrollton, Texas. Learn more at techsafetylines.com.
Calling 911 should always be your first move, but remember: you are already in the right place at the right time to act. You need to get your colleague down as quickly and safely as possible – not just because OSHA mandates prompt rescue, but because dangling from a harness in space is hard on the body and mind. Nothing cuts off circulation and breathing like your entire body weight bearing down on the straps that just saved your life, and there’s no more helpless feeling than being unable to do anything about it while your blood pools in your legs. And, if you were injured either before or during the fall, you may have broken bones or have lost consciousness, and be unable to help yourself.
18 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
I’ve spent 31 years as a firefighter, with 25 of those as part of the Dallas Technical Rescue Team specializing in high-angle and high-level rescue. In the last few years, I’ve noticed a growing realization among work crews that dialing 911 is not the only answer. It has become clear that people on-site need to be equipped to respond quickly, too. If you’re working in a remote location, local first responders may not be trained for high-level rescue. Even in a big city like Dallas, only two fire stations host technical rescue teams. In most cases, the nearest fire station will respond, assess the situation, and then call us. So even in the best-case scenario, your buddy could be hanging there for a good 45 minutes waiting for the rescue team to arrive,