Man Rescued From Crane 10 Stories Above Downtown Tampa (Video)

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Fire Rescue crews went above, way above, the ordinary call of duty when a Wednesday morning medical emergency took them 10 stories into the air over downtown to recover a crane operator.

According to the agency, crews were called to a construction site at 1115 E. Twiggs St. in downtown around 8:30 a.m. May 10. When they arrived, they learned the operator of a construction crane was stuck in its cab approximately 200 feet in the air. The delicate nature of the situation required the agency’s heavy rescue unit to deploy so that the man could be secured and lowered to the ground safely, an email from the agency said.

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To get to the man, medics scaled the crane with the gear needed for a high-rise rescue, the email said. Once the man was reached and stabilized, he was lowered to a basket that was set up so that the crane itself could be used to complete the descent, the agency said. One of the medics remained tethered to the basket to accompany the man to the ground.

Authorities say the man was on the ground by 10:17 a.m. and transported to a local hospital. The man’s name and age have not been released. It is unclear what type of medical emergency he suffered.

Every Tampa Fire Rescue firefighter is dual certified to serve as both EMTs and paramedics, the agency’s email noted. “Many of the firefighters have special training to conduct rescues in many different environments, including confined spaces, active shooter, high altitude and water,” the agency added.

Screenshot and video courtesy of Tampa Fire Rescue