Baltimore Window Washer Rescue : Update

Injured window washer rescued from 10th floor of Towson building: Baltimore County firefighters and emergency medical responders on Thursday rescued an injured window washer who was dangling outside the 10th floor at Edenwald, a senior residential complex on Southerly Road, across from the Towson Town Center Mall. The window washer — who officials did not name — sustained “serious  but not life-threatening injuries," said Elise Armacost, spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Fire Department. He was taken by ground transport to Maryland Shock Trauma. A call came in at 12:18 p.m. requesting a “high angle rescue” response because a window washer was trapped, according to Armacost. “He was lowering himself from the roof to wash the windows using a rope and harness system," she said. "Something went awry. Instead of lowering him slowly down, it dropped suddenly and he banged himself against the building." As media helicopters hovered above, the area was surrounded by law enforcement and rescue vehicles. Ten-year Towson resident Virginia Griffin, who lives in the adjacent complex, said she didn't know what was happening. “I looked around and saw 18,000 police vehicles," she said. "I didn't know if some pour soul jumped." From yesterdays story.

Towson window washer taken to Shock Trauma after 10th story accident: A window washer at Edenwald Retirement Community in Towson was sent to shock trauma after sustaining injuries from an accident on the 10th story of the building Thursday afternoon. Baltimore County Fire Department crews found the window washer on the side of the high-rise, who had been dangling from his harness for close to an hour, according to BCFD spokeswoman Elise Armacost. “Apparently he was trying to lower himself from the roof and something went awry and he knocked himself against the outside wall and suffered minor injury,” she said.

BCFD dispatched a number of units to aid in the recovery of the victim. A specialized rescue team was sent to the roof, where officers were lowered down to the victim where he was secured and lowered to a fire engine platform. The victim’s name has not yet been released, and Armacost said she was unsure of what company Edenwald uses for window washing.

The victim injury level was considered Priority 2. According to Armacost, he was sent to Shock Trauma because of the circumstances of the type of rescue, not because of life-threatening injuries. She said it was wise for the victim to be sent to Shock Trauma. The extent of the injuries are currently unknown. BCFD fire specialist Chris Hale was the specialist responsible for securing the victim and helped retrieve him from the 10th floor. He said he has had experience in helicopter rescues but had never experienced this type of building window rescue. “This was a lot more safe than a helicopter rescue,” he said.

The retirement community was not evacuated but a number of community residents could be seen observing the scene from outside of the building and from their apartment balconies. Access into the 800 Southerly Road building was blocked-off during the incident. “I didn’t know at first what had happened until I saw everything what was going on outside. When I looked out and I didn’t know what the hell was going on, I saw these fire engines and ambulances … I didn’t know what had happened. So I went out in the hallways and asked to find out,” Edenwald resident Q.D. Thompson, 90, said. ”Naturally I was very much concerned about his condition and I guess what it entered in my mind at first was how in the hell could such a thing have happened when he was wearing so much safety gear.”

Baltimore Window Cleaner Rescue

Firefighters Rescue Window Washer Trapped Outside 10th Floor of Towson Building: Baltimore County firefighters rescued a window washer who was trapped dangling in his harness for nearly an hour outside the 10th floor of a high-rise building near the Towson Town Center Mall.

The window washer was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma to be treated for injuries. Fire officials did not identify the window washer and did not say what type of injuries he suffered.

Fire officials received the 911 call at 12:18 p.m. and rescued him at 1:10 p.m. An advanced tactical rescue team from the Texas fire station helped with the rescue. One rescuer rappelled from the building's roof while another firefigther attempted to assist from a window near the window washer. Other rescuers ascended to the trapped man in a basket affixed to the end of a fire truck's ladder.

A window washer was trapped Thursday outside an assisted living facility at 800 Southerly Road.

A window washer hangs outside a window at 800 Southerly Road, an assisted living facility for the elderly. Residents on the left watch the window washer on the right.

The window washer, who appeared to be concious, was placed in the basket and returned to the ground. He was then placed on a strecther and taken away by an ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma, officials said. The fire department issued this notification at 12:38 p.m. that fire officials are "on the scene of a high-rise tactical rescue at 800 Southerly Road" in Towson.

Shortly after 1 p.m. firefighters rescued the window washer, whose identity is not yet known. The original notification from the fire department from spokeswoman Elise Armacost stated: "Preliminary reports say a window washer in a harness is trapped outside the 10th floor. Advanced tactical rescue personnel are en route."

Edenwald, a luxury assisted-living community for seniors, is located at 800 Southerly Road. The set of high-rise buildings just across the street from Towson Town Mall provides amenities such as an indoor pool, fitness center, pub, lounge, chapel, putting green, and air-conditioned walking track.

Baltimore County firefighters rescue a window washer who had been trapped outside the 10th floor of a Towson building.

Window Cleaner Rescue, Swine Flu + Window Cleaning News

Firefighters Rescue Window Washer After Lines Jam (BALTIMORE) : A window washer got stuck 12 stories in the air at a Baltimore high rise Tuesday. Weijia Jiang reports the man was in the 800-block of Lancaster Street in Harbor East working several stories up when his lines jammed, affecting his ability to maneuver around. "The mechanism that allows him to go up and down to wash windows is powered by a motor, which malfunctioned," said Kevin Cartwright with the Baltimore City Fire Department. Fire department members were able to secure the man with a rope and safely get him inside the building. Witnesses say the man stayed calm while he was hanging in the air. "That's the thing about it, you can't think about it because if you think about it, you can't do what we do. It takes a lot of courage to do what we do. We're out here in the snow, the rain, the sun," said foreman Roland Boyer. "This is what we do. This is our job." The window washer was not hurt. He has not been identified.

Cowtown Cracks Down on Signs - Popular hamburger joint ordered to remove name from window: As part of a crackdown on signs, city inspectors on Tuesday ordered Kincaid’s Hamburgers on Camp Bowie Boulevard to scrape its name off its front window or face fines of $500 per day. An ordinance passed two years ago forbids businesses from having signs or lettering that block more than 10 percent of a window. The law, aimed at cleaning up clutter, also limits the use of temporary and permanent signs. The owner of the iconic hamburger joint, which opened in 1946, said he is puzzled by the order to remove the sign. "We don't consider it offensive,” said Kincaid’s owner Ron Gentry. “There's nothing about it that would upset anyone. Obviously, the city is upset about it."
At least two other businesses near Kincaid’s also received similar orders. The owner of a salon was given two days to remove a sign from her window, which advertises the services she sells, such as manicures and facials. "And I'm like, ‘OK, so you're telling me I have to take it off?’” the owner of Salon One recalled asking the inspector. “And he said, ‘You have to take it off except for three lines.’” Next door, a small business that sells cupcakes was ordered to remove a temporary sign with two helium-filled balloons out front. City managers said the inspector was just doing his job, enforcing a law designed to make the city look better. "We're not trying to negatively impact anyone's business,” said David Hall, assistant manager of Fort Worth’s planning department. “The ultimate goal is compliance with the law, and we'll give people enough time to come into compliance." He noted that businesses can appeal the orders to the city’s Board of Adjustment. The owner of Kincaid’s said city leaders should rethink the entire ordinance. "That signage is very important for these small independent businesses,” Gentry said. “There aren't a lot of chains up and down Camp Bowie… and we need our signage so people can see us." Several customers echoed his comments and said the advertising is harmless. “I love the sign, I love the burger, and I see no reason for the sign to go,” said one man. Hall said the city is enforcing the sign ordinance all over the city, not just along Camp Bowie.

H1N1 Flu Is a False Pandemic, Health Expert Claims: A leading health expert said the swine flu scare was a "false pandemic" led by drug companies that stood to make billions from vaccines, The Sun reported Monday. Wolfgang Wodarg, head of health at the Council of Europe, claimed major firms organized a "campaign of panic" to put pressure on the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic. He believes it is "one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century," and he has called for an inquiry. An emergency debate on the issue will be held by the Council of Europe later this month. The Council of Europe covers 47 European countries and seeks to develop common and democratic principles between the nations.
Wodarg said, "It's just a normal kind of flu. It does not cause a tenth of deaths caused by the classic seasonal flu. "The great campaign of panic we have seen provided a golden opportunity for representatives from labs who knew they would hit the jackpot in the case of a pandemic being declared. "We want to clarify everything that brought about this massive operation of disinformation. We want to know who made decisions, on the basis of what evidence, and precisely how the influence of the pharmaceutical industry came to bear on the decision-making." He added: "A group of people in the WHO is associated very closely with the pharmaceutical industry." The WHO recently reaffirmed its stance that the pandemic is not over. However, the number of swine flu deaths is dramatically lower than expected.
In an interview with France's L'Humanite Sunday, Wodarg also raised concerns about swine flu vaccines. "The vaccines were developed too quickly. Some ingredients were insufficiently tested," he said. "But there is worse to come. The vaccine developed by Novartis was produced in a bioreactor from cancerous cells, a technique that had never been used until now. "This was not necessary. It has also led to a considerable mismanagement of public money. "The time has come at last for us to make demands on governments. The purpose of the inquiry is to prevent more false alarms of this type in the future." "We must make sure people can rely on the analysis and the expertise of national and international public institutions. The latter are now discredited, because millions of people have been vaccinated with products with inherent possible health risks." Also see here.

Joy Braband of Glencoe and Justin Richter of Brooklyn Park announce their engagement and plans to marry on Feb. 27 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie. Parents of the couple are Jon and Jodi Braband of Glencoe, Maureen Hanley of Fargo, N.D., and Kurt Richter of Oak Grove. Braband is a 2008 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and is a second-year student in phsyical therapy at the Mayo School of Health Sciences in Rochester. Richter owns Richter Window Cleaning Service and is a student at the University of Minnesota, Rochester campus, majoring in nursing.

More states are requiring schools and government buildings to use environmentally friendly cleaning products, raising debate about their costs and benefits. In New York, schools that responded to a state survey said their costs went up 10 percent, on average, in the first year they complied with a 2005 cleaning law. But New York's Office of General Services said successful programs reduce levels of cleaning chemicals, mold and dust that cause asthma attacks, a top reason students miss school.

Owners' plea for return of precious puppy Lola: Despairing Lisa and John Creaghan are offering "a generous reward" after a thief took their English bull terrier from John's van while he was window cleaning at a house in the hamlet of Highbrook, near Ardingly. The five-month-old red and white puppy called Lola is microchipped and John and Lisa think an "opportunist thief" may have taken her after expecting to find tools or other valuables in John's van. Lisa, of Bolnore Village, said: "She means so much to us. She is my life." Anyone who knows of Lola's whereabouts should ring Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999 or anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.