@ NATE: Tower climbers should coordinate with EMS before climb

OKLAHOMA CITY—“Compassion kills,” said Steve Fleming, director of training for Safety One International, as he addressed a crowd at the National Association of Tower Erectors’ (NATE) 16th annual conference and exposition in Oklahoma City. “Do you all believe that?”
Fleming was speaker at NATE’s educational session on rescuer safety for tower climbers. He was referring to the camaraderie shared by tower erectors and the danger rescuers can subject themselves to when a friend and co-worker is put in an emergency situation on the job.
Fleming said that a major danger of would-be rescuers is that they are often prone to make themselves additional victims to injury because of the intense emotions involved in a crisis. “Give yourself three seconds to step back and ask, ‘What the hell happened?’”
The session was filled with hypothetical situations designed to evoke audience members to reason how best to handle an emergency. While falls or hanging suspensions can occur, other forms of crisis contribute to these or emerge from bees, mosquitoes, wasps, spiders, animal attacks, electrocution, inclement weather, dehydration, and anaphylactic or diabetic shock among others.
Proper planning of an expedition was discussed, including finding the exact location of the tower site climbers are using, including both latitude and longitude, preparing all paper work and briefs, noting accessibility of vehicles, the use of inspected safety equipment, checking for a secure rescue lifeline and attachment to a tower, establishing an anchor to the harness and ensuring a predetermination if cell-phone use is operational or ensuring the closest point where a mobile device will operate. Having basic medical certifications such as CPR, First Aid and AED use were emphasized as critical to saving a life.
Fleming, a captain of the Poudre Fire Authority in Fort Collins, Co., with 35 years of experience in emergency medical services, said that the first two questions from emergency dispatch are queries on location and describing the particular emergency. Tower workers are required to have communication set up with emergency services. Fleming said that climbers should not be intimidated to call 911 in advance of a build or modification to let emergency personnel know of the exact location of the site, should an incident occur.
Due to remote areas of some tower locations, the ability to meet ambulances closer to roads with mile markers or access points is important for timely medical services. Describing the nature of the emergency is also important. If a climber is suspended in a harness, circulation can be cut off or air passages blocked based on the position of the head and neck. A rescuer should check vital signs, understand and recognize the medical needs of co-workers and be careful when considering the signs of suspension trauma.
“Suspension trauma is huge. I can’t emphasize that enough,” said Fleming. “Checking the pulse and airway is what makes the big difference.”
Fleming says not all EMS will know signs of suspension trauma so it is often up to workers to perform proper steps to recognize and treat the signs. He said it is best to describe the trauma to emergency personnel as that of using a tourniquet. Once a tower climber rescues a victim from a suspension, the circulation of the victim’s blood can be dangerously cut off between sections of the body and pools in areas. Placing a victim flat or not properly orienting the person can lead to a ‘smiling death,’ where the victim is still conscious but the circulatory system is overwhelmed as trapped extremities that were starved of oxygen release toxic byproducts in a sudden manner back to the heart. It is best to bend a victim at the knees are have them sit upright to ensure a proper and more steady flow of blood through the system.
In closing, Fleming said it is up to NATE members whether or not to attend a funeral or attend training to stay educated and alive.
“The safety culture is changing,” said Fleming. “You end up with an option and an opportunity to say, ‘Let’s all end up home.’”