Crime & Safety
Photos: Firefighters Practice Tower Rescues
While tower technicians are trained to self-rescue when problems arise, fire departments may still have to go extract victims if something goes majorly wrong.
Waukesha firefighters are used to climbing ladders and being on high roofs during life-threatening situations.
But this week, the Waukesha Fire Department is reaching greater heights. They’ve been practicing for cell phone and radio tower rescues. While tower technicians are trained to self rescue but when that doesn’t work, the fire department could have to extract the victim.
“If it gets to a point, we are called,” said Deputy Chief Kevin Johnson. “… We are just using our skills that we have now.”
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Because cell phone towers owned by SBA Communications can hold signal for multiple-cell phone carriers, many technicians have access to the property – and a risk comes with that for the technicians if something goes wrong.
“It is quite a conglomerations of people that have access to this,” Johnson explained.
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Two representatives from SBA Communications – Matt Surface and Jeremy Buckles – were on hand to teach firefighters how to safely climb the towers and bring the victim down to safety.
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