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Re: [TowerTalk] Never Free Climb

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Never Free Climb
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8ri-on-TowerTalk@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 22:53:52 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 8/14/2013 9:47 PM, Tom Osborne wrote:
Roger said:
Harnesses were found "after the fact"
If a friend or partner fell, what's the first thing you'd likely do at
getting down?

Hi Roger

That is a very good question.

I've taken a lot of first aid classes (we used to have to renew our First
Aid card every 2 years), and one of the things they taught us was that if
someone is injured bad, don't move them.  I don't think moving someone
around to get a harness off would be a good idea.  Even if they snap from
the front, how are  you going to get it out from under them and move it?

I'd imagine if the first responders got there in time, stabilizing the guy
would be first priority.  If someone is hurt bad, moving them might be the
worst thing you could do.  What if they have broken bones?  I'm sure this
guy was probably gone before they got there if he fell from 200 feet.

I agree completely. I'd drop my harness, but all I could do is check vitals with out moving them.


I notice in a football game, if someone gets badly injured, the first thing
they do is stabilize them.  They don't even take the helmet off or anything
if the injury is bad and they are not concious.

My tower is only about 30 feet, but I never go up it without being secured.
Even at that height I get nervous.  73

I know a ham on one of the reflectors who was taking down a tower just a few years ago. There was only 30 feet left when it went over with him on it. He survived and many surgeries
 later will be on strong pain meds the rest of his life.

The closest call I had climbing was a friends tower many years ago. We had one of Michigan's big snow storms with high winds. We haven't had one like that since the 80's. The tower folded right over the top of his 2 1/2 story house. The tower was fastened to the fascia on the West side. I gave the tower the "once over" and went up to the peak with a hack saw. when the last leg was cut and the top part of the tower slid down the
North side of the roof and fell off.

I turned around to survey the West side of the yard when alarm bells started ringing in my head and I had an unsteady feeling. My left arm swung around instinctively behind me and caught a large eye bolt which was the only thing I could have caught. That I did was pure luck even though I knew there was one there. I let out a holler and two guys came over to hold the tower against the house so I could let go and climb down.

Two of the tower legs had rusted through, but the break had been camouflaged with paint. With 3 feet of snow the yard didn't look that bad from 25 feet, but I knew there were a LOT of "things" under that snow.

THAT sure was an adrenalin rush!

73

Roger (K8RI)

Tom W7WHY



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