MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Just a simple question. I've never seen or been involved with one in a real world situation.
You?
You?
Real Life Aerial Rescue; Have you or haven't you???
- Thread starter MasterBlaster
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woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Nada, never have seen any injury or other dehabilitation with anyone up a tree.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Then vote!
Thor's Hammer
Wolfish. Sometimes Bites.
On the sea straits between us and the mainland, the royal airforce train their air sea rescue. So we regularly see the Seaking helo's winching people from the sea. It's often Prince Williams helo. I've been on the deck of the big seacat crossing the Irish sea when they were Training at winching people off the deck.
Edit: tree rescue? Never.
Edit: tree rescue? Never.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Of course, a tree rescue.
I have been hurt a few times but never totally incapacitated so was able to get down with no assistance. The two times I had to perform aerial rescues had more humor than stress. The first was pre-lowering device and, in fact, was one of the instances that spurred its development.
We were removing large blue gums on a steep hillside with a roadway and primary power lines below. Trunk wraps were being used for friction control for lowering. Eucs have pretty good grip up until the time the bark starts shearing off. This was the situation when the wraps the groundman was using pealed off the rough bark and the wraps started sliding up the tree. As they slid up, they lost friction. But instead of letting go like most sane people would, he held on. Three times around the tree he went, then took off at a considerable rate of speed towards the canopy. His ascending arc took him out over the wires and the street below, he was hanging on for dear life, and his shoulder length hair was streaking out behind him doing a pretty good imitation of Superman. In no time at all, he was 80 feet off the ground, suspended in midair by just the grip of his hands on the rope. During his arcing ascent, his pathway took him out over the street and wires and at a good 200 ft altitude. Everyone was initially yelling at him to let go of the rope up until the point he became airborne. Then the tune changed to "Don't let GO!!!" I was already in the tree so it took no time at all to reach him.
We performed the Koala Bear rescue, where I positioned myself slightly below him and facing me he wrapped his legs and arms around me...TIGHTLY. We were able to descend in this manner safely.
The second was a young, wannabe climber, once again in eucalyptus trees. For those of you who have not climbed eucs, they can be a real test for beginners. They have very little taper, large trees often have the first limbs 60 oto 80 feet up. The young bark has a powdery feel with zero grip. In those days, removals were done with spurs and no top rope. So if you slipped, there was a good chance it was going to be a long slide. This young guy made it almost to the first branch before the adrenaline wore off to be replaced by abject terror. He slipped, grabbed onto the tree with a bear hug and wouldn't let go and couldn't move. I was a bit ticked. All the talking in the world wasn't going to get him unstuck. So I went up and got him. Tied him in to the limb above him and spent some time prying his fingernails out of the bark to where he could be lowered down.
He decided after that climbing was not for him.
Dave
We were removing large blue gums on a steep hillside with a roadway and primary power lines below. Trunk wraps were being used for friction control for lowering. Eucs have pretty good grip up until the time the bark starts shearing off. This was the situation when the wraps the groundman was using pealed off the rough bark and the wraps started sliding up the tree. As they slid up, they lost friction. But instead of letting go like most sane people would, he held on. Three times around the tree he went, then took off at a considerable rate of speed towards the canopy. His ascending arc took him out over the wires and the street below, he was hanging on for dear life, and his shoulder length hair was streaking out behind him doing a pretty good imitation of Superman. In no time at all, he was 80 feet off the ground, suspended in midair by just the grip of his hands on the rope. During his arcing ascent, his pathway took him out over the street and wires and at a good 200 ft altitude. Everyone was initially yelling at him to let go of the rope up until the point he became airborne. Then the tune changed to "Don't let GO!!!" I was already in the tree so it took no time at all to reach him.
We performed the Koala Bear rescue, where I positioned myself slightly below him and facing me he wrapped his legs and arms around me...TIGHTLY. We were able to descend in this manner safely.
The second was a young, wannabe climber, once again in eucalyptus trees. For those of you who have not climbed eucs, they can be a real test for beginners. They have very little taper, large trees often have the first limbs 60 oto 80 feet up. The young bark has a powdery feel with zero grip. In those days, removals were done with spurs and no top rope. So if you slipped, there was a good chance it was going to be a long slide. This young guy made it almost to the first branch before the adrenaline wore off to be replaced by abject terror. He slipped, grabbed onto the tree with a bear hug and wouldn't let go and couldn't move. I was a bit ticked. All the talking in the world wasn't going to get him unstuck. So I went up and got him. Tied him in to the limb above him and spent some time prying his fingernails out of the bark to where he could be lowered down.
He decided after that climbing was not for him.
Dave
ValleyArborist
TreeHouser
Not really. I went up to get a guy that was just physically exhausted and sick once, but he was able to get himself down with little assistance once I was up.
rskybiz
TreeHouser
Practiced would be a yes to the poll.
ValleyArborist
TreeHouser
DMC, the first scenario you described, I've seen a very similar situation. Big removal, using a Hobbs block. The climber was tip tying pieces and standing them up. Once free, the ground guy went to take some wraps off so that the piece would lower a little easier, but instead of taking them off one by one, he foolishly just flipped the rope from a distance and ALL of the wraps came off. The rope slid through his hand until they caught a stopper knot and it was up up and away. the "let go, let go ,let go, DONT LET GO!" thing played out the same way. Id say he went up about 25 feet. Luckily he had climbed enough to know how to grab a lock of rope with his feet and shimmied down.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
Practice ain't what this thread's about.
vharrison
Island Girl
No, no one from our company has ever needed one. Thank God.
rskybiz
TreeHouser
Your right Butch, practice won't save me as chances are it will be me that needs the rescue if and or when.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #14
Again, that's not what this thread's about.
Simply put, has you or has you NOT been in/witnessed a real life tree climbing aerial rescue?
Dat's it.
Simply put, has you or has you NOT been in/witnessed a real life tree climbing aerial rescue?
Dat's it.
N
NeTree
Guest
Tree climbing?- No. Tree-related aerial lift? Yes, sorta... was more of a body recovery.
wiley_p
Climbing Up
Yes, sort of. Both incidents, the individuals were in over there heads. So really I was not a rescuer, more of an enabler.
One guy had cut clean thru BOTH legs of his rope. He was stuck or sure.
The other guy was exhausted, foaming at the mouth after getting foot so stuck in the confluence of a mass of big epicormics that I did consider cutting his foot.
But no body was hurt, nor in any life or death situation. Just stuck and kind of stupid.
What was this thread about?
One guy had cut clean thru BOTH legs of his rope. He was stuck or sure.
The other guy was exhausted, foaming at the mouth after getting foot so stuck in the confluence of a mass of big epicormics that I did consider cutting his foot.
But no body was hurt, nor in any life or death situation. Just stuck and kind of stupid.
What was this thread about?
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
I came to the job site late one day to find a new climber stuck in the tree. He was a white kid who had been humble about his skills with me but was bragging himself up to the latinos on the crew. They gave him our shortest climbline and set him up a hundred foot eucalyptus. Our job was right next to the county fire station and we were watched daily. I was pretty pissed to have to go climb above the guy and rappel him down. It made us look like a crappy outfit.
Bodean
Cali dreamer
Long story short, My old boss got his finger caught in a running bowline around a piece that was half cut then broke.
He held the piece with his other hand while I speed spurred up the tree, Coast live oak to cut his finger outta the knot.
It was raining too. The rope was an after thought once he realized the piece needed a rope.
Is this a rescue?
He held the piece with his other hand while I speed spurred up the tree, Coast live oak to cut his finger outta the knot.
It was raining too. The rope was an after thought once he realized the piece needed a rope.
Is this a rescue?
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #19
A finger rescue? Hmmmmmm...
Bodean
Cali dreamer
Was that guy named Tony? I think I knew him once.
He later started his own thing and had me do all his removals.
His co. went under.
He later started his own thing and had me do all his removals.
His co. went under.
Bodean
Cali dreamer
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #22
Yea, keep an eye out for the UPS man!
Paul B
I dig hammocks.
No rescues, 2 recoveries that I know of locally in the last few years.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
Yuck.
Paul B
I dig hammocks.
indeed. From what I know, neither would have been rescuable, given the injuries and the timeframe.
