Saving The Window Washers

“People who get stuck on buildings think what we do is a great danger, but for our guys it’s old hat,” Swanson said. “But the window washer we’re saving is scared to death.”

Firefighters practice on side of 22-story North Naples high-rise: His equipment has failed and a North Naples window washer is dangling off the side of a 22-story condominium, 220 feet in the air. North Naples firefighters gather on the Marbella condominium’s roof, yell to the victim and start hooking rappelling ropes to roof anchors. Firefighter Ken Duffy scales down the building, gathers the victim between his legs and hooks the window washer to his safety lines. “Rescue one,” Duffy yells into his walkie talkie afterward. “Victim on the ground.”

North Naples Fire Department practiced several high-angle condominium rescues with a 180-pound dummy Thursday. The firefighters practice rescues once a month to sharpen their skills. Deputy chief Mike Swanson said it’s common for his firefighters to rescue area construction workers and window washers stuck on the side of buildings. Three years ago, his department rescued three construction workers dangling off The Dunes condo complex in North Naples. The scaffolding the workers were standing in broke. “People who get stuck on buildings think what we do is a great danger, but for our guys it’s old hat,” Swanson said. “But the window washer we’re saving is scared to death.”

North Naples firefighter Javier Spirgatis scales down the Marbella condominium in a rescue training exercise. The victim wasn't real but the scenario was.

Duffy, who installed elevators in high rise New York City buildings for 19 years before joining North Naples Fire in 2004, said he’s not afraid of rappelling off high rises because his department practices it so much. The ropes the firefighters use are each rated to support 9,000 pounds. “That’s the thing that’s in the back of my mind when I go off the side of the building,” Duffy said. Thursday’s drill caused a little bit of a stir at the normally laid-back condominium. A condo worker snapped iPhone photos as firefighters rappelled.

High-angle condominium rescues start with getting good roof anchors, North Naples battalion chief Dave Bellamy said. On Thursday, the fire department secured two sets of ropes on the roof. The first is a blue working line that firefighters use to lower firefighters and victims. The second is a red safety line that supports firefighters and victims if anything goes wrong. Swanson said victims are usually feeling fainting symptoms by the time firefighters get to them.

North Naples firefighters practice rescues on high rise condos, Fla.- Sometimes firefighters must go to great heights to rescue a victim. The North Naples Fire District practiced those rescues on Thursday at a 21 story building in Naples located in the Pelican Bay neighborhood. "This gentleman could have been a window washer, hanging on the side of the building now," said Ken Duffy, North Naples Fire. Ken Duffy has been with the North Naples Fire District for nearly a decade. He joined other firefighters for a drill involving a high angle rescue at the Marbella Condominiums. "Roughly a 100 high rises in our district so we train every month and these specific emergencies when they happen we need to be ready on the drop of a hat," said Duffy.

Duffy secures the victim to a rope before scaling down the high rise. Firefighters in the exercise control the ropes on the roof. Firefighters use a manikin during today's exercise weighing nearly 180 pounds. North Naples Fire also practiced securing a victim on the roof and then lowering him to the ground. "Picture the building being under construction or something and not having an elevator. This would be the safest way to get him down." Firefighters Fox 4 spoke to say this training is essential. One firefighter recalls saving 3 painters in Marco Island at a condo after their equipment failed.

Clarksburg Firefighters Face Rope Rescue Training: Firefighting isn't just about extinguishing fires. The men and women who done fireproof gear must also know how to extricate people from cars or save those rescued over hills or in tight spaces. Over the next two months, the Clarksburg Fire Department has decided to focus on those technical rescue skills. Right now, they're focusing on rope rescues. This requires firefighters to not only climb the stairs of the training tower but to also lower each other down by a rope. Not everyone has to come down on the rope, but they do have to learn one of the jobs that goes into this type of rescue. Some firefighters help secure the anchor points on safe land while others actually lower their comrades down. They were using a specific technique so that the rescue firefighters have their hands free. This would allow them to reach out and help a stranded window washer or people stuck in cars over steep embankments. Chief Rick Scott hopes this training helps build confidence for the firefighters.