Contractor In Stable Condition After Grainery Tower Rescue: FFPD

FRANKFORT, IL — A contractor fell on Thursday afternoon, breaking his arm, while servicing an antenna at the Grainery tower in downtown Frankfort, according to Frankfort Fire Protection District.

The fire district said it received a 911 call at 2:31 p.m. Thursday for a man who had fallen 15 feet and was suffering from a severely fractured arm. The man was located on top of the grainery tower.

Initial companies confirmed that the man was on top of the tower, and spoke to the man via cell phone at first, according to the district. The man told firefighters he would not be able to descend to the ground on his own due to his arm.

Frankfort firefighters began to ascend the grainery tower to reach the man, and give aid. The tower is 125 feet tall, and 190 feet tall including the large antenna, the district said.

Access to the roof is difficult due to the interior configuration of the tower, the fire district said.

First responders brought equipment to the roof, and began to warm the man with blankets and hot packs, and treat his injuries. The man was in stable condition and remained so throughout the incident, the fire district said.

Additional resources were required due to the complexity of the rescue, and more firefighters and technical rescue technicians were brought to the scene.

The fire district said the man was able to be lowered inside the tower, and then moved down three levels. He then was handed out a window 80 feet in the air to firefighters that were in a tower ladder on the exterior of the building.

He was then lowered to the ground and was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

The rescue took three hours, the district said.

Mutual aid was provided by Manhattan, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Lemont, Lockport, Crete Township and Manteno fire districts, and Tinley Park and Flossmoor fire departments.