A 3.5 tonne truck mounted lift overturned in Hengelo, Netherlands yesterday after one of its outrigger jacks broke through the bricks on the sidewalk/pavement.
Another ground incident: A 3.5 tonne truck mounted lift overturned in Hengelo, Netherlands yesterday after one of its outrigger jacks broke through the bricks on the sidewalk/pavement. The 20 metre articulated unit was being used by a window washing company and from what we can see no mats had been used under the jack pads. The lift came to rest against the building and thankfully no one was injured. The damage was also relatively light.
It does not look like any mats were used.
The boom came to rest against the side of the building.
Christmas lights fall: A man fell from a ladder yesterday while installing Christmas lights in the town of Ashford, Kent, in the UK. The man, said to be in his late 30s, was originally said to have been working from the van mounted lift, that he or his employer, Essex-based Festive Impact Lighting, had rented from Facelift. However we later discovered that he was working from a ladder when he slipped and fell backwards hitting his head on the ground. He was out cold for around five minutes before being taken to hospital where and later released.
A photograph from the scene shortly after the incident occurred.
Bubble Truck Window Cleaner: Adam Froman admits that his way of advertising brings them out of the woodwork. "This is a publicity stunt to advertise my window cleaning business," he says. Adams Window Cleaning, operates from Kent, WA. serving King, Pierce, Snohomish counties in Washington State - around 20 miles North East of the Seattle area. Since starting with the bubbles, Adam has had continued success attracting new customers & thinks you would probably have the same result to. Adam has added his secret of bubble success below, just in case you too want to follow his lead.
History of the bubbles:
I squeezed a dishwashing liquid bottle and a bunch of cute little bubbles came flying out. After that moment, a dream was born. My dream became; with a bubble blowing machine (a small one) on top of my bucket , it could attract some attention. I didn't have much money to start.
I bought a little bubble blowing machine. It was a little 10” tall blue plastic bear that dipped a little bubble wand into a small container. It brought the wand to it's mouth and blew a few bubbles out. There are many like this. Little Tikes - Bubble Bellie Series in Target or Walmart. It took about 4 AA batteries. I placed it on top of my lid of the water bucket for dipping my scrubber into. The bucket was next to my sign for window cleaning. It would run for up to 2 hours. I would have to replace batteries.
I was mostly using these at storefront cleanings. A few bubbles would drift, it was starting to look cute. Every once and a while, little children around 2 years old would drag their moms or dads over to look at the bubbles. My conclusions at this point; these use a lot of batteries (I like to recycle so I don't like this), dollar stores have batteries cheap (in my search to keep the machine going), it did attract some people, and this setup would work best for kids at home.
My dream became bigger. Now in my dream; there would be a cloud of bubbles around the front of the storefront I was working at. I purchased a bubble blowing machine made by Gazillion Bubbles. It is just called a bubble machine. I got it at Target. It was about $15. It took 4 AA batteries. It is about 10” tall, purple on the outside, and yellow spinning bubble wands. It produced a lot of bubbles. The machine would last for about 2 hours till I needed new batteries.
I liked the amount of bubbles, so I bought another machine. I placed (2) machines on my water bucket and cleaned the storefronts. Now the bubbles carried across the storefront and on to the next storefront or two .. this was a great result! Then about 2 hours later, The batteries died. Sometimes it was enough time to get a job so I kept buying batteries to try. No changes - batteries still dying. After a week or two the machines themselves broke. It turns out the wiring inside is very small.
My dream became bigger .. now I wanted the cloud of bubbles to last the whole time I was working the storefronts. I began to research a little into solar power and wind powered bubble blowers. So far, the best I can find to do is buy a solar cell to charge a car or marine battery and run the bubbles AC off of that. I was not happy with results of recharging AA or C batteries. I didn't get any good results with homemade wind powered bubble blowers just yet.
Then I noticed the bubble blowers that work on 110 volts AC and figured about plugging them into a converter, attached to a car battery. This is about when I had the idea about putting the bubble blowers on my truck. I attached (2) machines to my truck. I found them at Party City. Each was a black bubble machine that is made of metal and shaped like a stop sign. It was about $40 for each one and many companies make machines like this one on the net also. Both of those plugged into an extension cord. That extension cord is plugged into a converter that converts 110 AC to 12VDC. I got at Staples or Office Depot. I got the smallest one. It was about $40 also.
With the bubbles on the truck, I began driving around. I stopped using the bubbles at the storefront and now focused using them on the truck. With the bubbles on the truck a lot of new things began to happen. I would keep the bubbles on while I was cleaning storefronts and houses now. While driving, I would see people in other cars smiling, pointing at the bubbles, giving me a thumbs up symbol, and people waving (like a parade wave) to me.
Now when at a job with the bubbles, I can almost guarantee some child will come out of the woodwork and start playing in the bubbles and that would drag a mother or father out with the child. I rarely get a job in these situations but I know the advertising is working.
After having the bubbles on the truck for a little over a month, when I go to the bank or a store people ask me if the bubbles are mine. I say, ”Yes.” and they say, "my children love your bubbles”. I ask them where the kids are and they say that the kids saw me driving around town. I think more and more people are seeing the bubbles. I think teenagers respond best, young children second, and adults last. But when I drive by a group of teenagers, they yell, “Bubbles!” Young children smile, play a little, and definitely try to show their parents.
I did notice a situation at this point. The cost of bubble solution. I found solutions range in price from $3 to $20 per gallon. I learned the $20 per gallon Gazzillion solution works as good as the $3 per gallon kind. I found the best deal at Walmart or Target. They have the $3 per gallon pricing. Bubble solution is a seasonal item, so I am buying up stock to get ready for slow bubble solution months. I have begun for fun, to see if I can find a bubble solution sponsor.
For fun, I got another 3 machines, another battery, and another converter. I drove around. One lady asked if I could park in front of peoples homes during birthday parties and such. I told her no so far. I got one other question like that before. It puts out a lot of bubbles, but I think it is just as effective with two machines. There is one other truck on the internet with bubble machines on it. He has more bubbles coming out of the truck. He charges $160 per hour to park the truck for parties and such. This is the only other thing like this idea I could find on the web.
As far as cops go, I haven't had any bad situations. I have passed many local cops and they haven't done anything. One cop was writing a ticket, and the bubbles came flowing in and he just smiled and kept on writing. I even had a cop following about 2 cars behind me and still he didn't do anything.
I have ran the bubble in all types of weather. One time, it was a regular rainy dreary day, someone called me in a car behind me, saying the bubbles had changed their day to be happier!! I even had the bubble machines running in the snow. I just pulled them inside the house at night when the weather turns to freezing.
I think the setup I am going to is: to keep the (2) machines on the truck and use another bubble machine setup at the storefront. For the storefront, a smaller bubble machine and smaller battery like for a wheel chair. I have (2) batteries and I will be starting this setup soon. The two locations both seem to get customers. Not many, but the whole setup has paid for itself twice.
I am completely open to people copying the idea. I think it would be great that when people see bubbles, they think of window cleaning. I do know that some people around here when they see bubbles, they think about me. Anybody reading this, I am open to any new ideas. As Adam says; "Don't keep up with the Jones,"- "BE the Jones!" "Please feel free to contact me, Adam of Adams Window Cleaning. on 206-423-7408.
If you would like to add your unique story to the blog - please contact me.
Cops link gang to window cleaners: Police believe gang members are linked to amateur window cleaners offering their services in Christchurch. Police are worried the window cleaners maybe casing properties for burglaries. Inspector Dave Lawry (pictured above) confirmed yesterday that a gang member had turned up to a property when police were called to a house whe the owner became concerned when a window cleaner offered to wash his windows. Police believe the window cleaner and gang member were connected.
Police have become increasingly concerned about the motives of amateur window cleaners in eastern Christchurch, who have been turning up at properties unannounced and offering to wash windows. Inspector Lawry said the public should be very cautious. "Police are aware of this group and will be keeping a close watch on their activities," he said. "They do not appear to be linked to any recognised cleaning company, and seemed to be approaching local properties at random.
"We urge householders to be cautious. There's a strong possibility that these window cleaners are using the business as a ruse to approach houses and establish if they are unoccupied. "Where they do undertake cleaning, they may be using the opportunity to identify items of interest inside or around the property for future burglaries."
The window cleaners were known to have targeted properties in South Brighton in recent weeks. One elderly man paid $25 to have his windows cleaned. Properties in South Brighton had been visited by window cleaners in recent weeks. Inspector Lawry urged householders to be cautious about who they let onto their properties, ask any door-to-door window cleaners for identification, and to report any suspicious approaches to police. The first blog about this story here.
"We have always wondered what triggered him to do it, if he had just had a customer say no that day."
Police failed to tell widow about window cleaning husband's suicide note: A widow spent almost a year wondering why her husband took his own life because police did not tell her about a suicide note. Window cleaner Raymond Curtis, who suffered from depression, was found dead at a lock-up garage in Seagull Road, Strood, in March last year. But it was not until an inquest into his death 10 months later that his wife discovered officers had picked up a hand-written letter from the bonnet of his car.
Heather Curtis was giving evidence at the hearing when coroner Roger Sykes questioned her about the note. She replied: "Note? I knew of no note." She added: "We have always wondered what triggered him to do it, if he had just had a customer say no that day." Mrs Curtis sobbed as she read the note outside the inquest court before the hearing continued. The coroner, who recorded a verdict of suicide, apologised to Mrs Curtis and said the police officer who dealt with the case would be spoken to.
The inquest heard how Mr Curtis, 58, of Darnley Road, Strood, had been diagnosed as clinically depressed three years before he died. He had been unable to work for a short time when he broke his foot and Mrs Curtis said it led him on a downward spiral as he worried about the future. Mrs Curtis went looking for her husband when he did not come home from work on March 2 last year and found him hanging in the garage.
They had three children, Jemimah, 32, Damian, 30, and Barclay, 28, and a one-year-old grandson. Mrs Curtis paid tribute to her husband of 32 years: "We miss him madly. He was a very sensitive, caring person." After the inquest, DCI Andy Pritchard said: "Our officers spoke to Mrs Curtis straight after the incident and spent around 45 minutes with her talking over the possible circumstances of her husband's death, including some details that had been left in the note. "This was a very emotional time for all of those involved, however, if our officers did not directly show the note to Mrs Curtis then we do apologise for any distress that was caused."
