Sheboygan firefighters prepare for cell phone tower rescues
The training took place at the Sheboygan Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility
SHEBOYGAN — It’s a situation no one wants to be in, being stuck 150 feet above ground while working on a cell phone tower.
Firefighters from the Sheboygan Fire Department recently spent three days training for such a scenario at the Sheboygan Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility on Lakeshore Drive. The training consisted of identifying communication tower concerns such as tower energy isolation, access, climbing and fall protection.
“Due to the number of communication towers in our community, we felt there was a need for our members to get additional training,” said Captain Kurt Miller of the Sheboygan Fire Department. “Tower rescues are a low frequency-high risk event, and there is always a possibility that we may be called to provide rescue at one of them.”
Firefighters may be required to climb a few hundred feet higher than the city’s 100-foot aerial platform truck. In doing this, they must maintain fall protection at all times, as they move around a structure that is not built for normal human movement. Other challenges can include any inclement weather that may be present, wildlife that may have made a home on a tower, and a variety of electrical or radio frequency hazards associated with communication tower work.
Firefighters trained for three days according to Battalion Chief Chase Longmiller. Firefighters from Appleton, Cedar Grove and the Town of Sheboygan Falls participated in the exercise. The owner of the tower, SBA Communications, sent instructors from North Carolina and West Virginia who assisted with the training.
The Sheboygan Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team responds to high risk incidents that involve specialized training. The team will respond to high and low angle rope rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue, and structural collapse incidents according to Miller. City of Sheboygan has several firefighters that are trained in these specialized rescues and are part of the Sheboygan County Technical Rescue Team, which is comprised of Cedar Grove, City of Sheboygan Falls, Town of Sheboygan Falls fire departments.
“We are always looking to expand on the services we provide our community, and wanted to ensure our people were properly trained so we can safely operate at any of these such incidents,” added Miller.
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