Two Window Cleaning Rescues

Two Regina window washers who were stuck on a scaffold 19 storeys above ground have been rescued. The rescue started shortly after 10 a.m. CST outside the west tower of the Twin Towers on the Scarth Street mall. However, office workers on the 19th floor said the men had been there since about 8 a.m. It wasn't immediately clear what had caused the problem, but it appeared to be a stuck cable. A firefighter attached to a line was able to drop down and pull them to the roof, one at a time. By 11 a.m., both men were back on solid ground. There was no sign that anyone was injured. Pictured above: A rescuer, seen on the left, attaches a line to a stranded window washer, just before hoisting him to the roof. More pictures here.

REGINA — A dramatic highrise rescue drew curious onlookers in downtown Regina Friday morning. Two workers needed to be rescued when the platform they were on became stuck between the 18th and 19 floors of Hill Tower I. Candace Liskowich, spokeswoman for Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS), said at 9:51 a.m. a call came in about two individuals stuck on a platform on the side of one of the Hill Towers located at 1874 Scarth St. Fire crews arrived on scene and the Technical Rescue Team of the RFPS was called. At 9:50 a.m. the red hats of the rescue team could be seen at the top of the building as members peered down at the victims on the platform. Then at 10:50 a.m. the first victim was lifted off the platform and pulled safely onto the roof top. Nine minutes later, the second victim was lifted to safety.
The crowd gathered to watch the event unfold cheered as they watched the rescue take place. "In exactly an hour they had the first victim off that platform," said Liskowich. "I think that's really impressive." Liskowich explained that a member of the rescue team was lowered onto the platform where he assisted the victims. "They used what they call a pick-off technique where they send one of their technical rescue members down to then use a harness or screamer suit, as they call it, and then used a (mechanical) advantage to pull the two victims onto the roof safely," she said. Liskowich added that victims were uninjured, which helped rescue efforts. "It's not a (common) situation for Regina Fire and Protective Services," she said. "They do train constantly, so the individuals we have on our technical rescue team are constantly training for high angle rescues."
Liskowich said rescuers were relieved that both victims remained calm and even communicated, via cell phones, with the rescue team throughout the whole ordeal. Terry Langelier, who works in a nearby business, watched everything unfold. She said curiousity got the best of her when she saw the commotion on the street, so she went out to investigate. "It was scary," said Langelier. "I was hoping they would be picked up safe, that's the main thing." She had never seen anything like that in downtown Regina before. "It just makes you wonder how those things happen," said Langelier. "It's fortunate that it wasn't 40 (C) below." Greg Treleaven was the member of the Technical Rescue Team who was lowered to the platform. "They lowered me down," he said. "I hooked into them and the guys brought them up." Treleaven said he was just doing his job, adding, he trains for such situations three times a month.

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Fairfax County firefighters rescued a man hanging from the 10th story of an office building on Dulles Corner Boulevard in Herndon at around 6:30 p.m. this evening. Capt. Robert Konczal of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said a crew was working on the windows of the building when an equipment failure caused a member of the crew to dangle from the building, about 10 stories above the ground. Konczal said Members from two technical rescue companies, No. 436 and No. 421, were at the scene. He said rescuers were able to go to the roof of the building to lower a rescue worker to where the victim was hanging. They put a harness on the victim and the two were lowered to a fire truck with an aerial bucket. The victim was not in any physical distress and was largely unharmed, Konczal said.

Stuck window washer is rescued: Fairfax County firefighters have rescued the window washer who was trapped outside the seventh floor of a Herndon high rise building, authorities said. Rescue crews were dispatched late Thursday afternoon to Dulles Corner Road and Dulles Corner Drive and found the window washer tangled in his safety harness, authorities said. He was rescued about an hour later, and taken to a hospital for a check-up, authorities said.