Looking Up In Seattle - Scaffold Malfunction

In Seattle today a window washer was seen repelling down after a scaffold malfunction.

SEATTLE - Firefighters launched a rescue operation Tuesday after two window washers became stuck outside the upper floors of a high-rise building in downtown Seattle. Witnesses said that the window washers were trapped outside the 29th or 30th floor of the CenturyLink building in the 1600 block of 7th Avenue. 

Firefighters responded to the scene and rappelled down to the rooftop of the building for a rope rescue. Both window washers then safely rappelled down one at a time the several stories to the ground below. Seattle Fire officials said it appears an equipment malfunction was to blame for the washers getting stuck. 

Folks on the ground were captivated after two window washers got stuck outside the 23rd floor of a high-rise building in Seattle Tuesday. 

Window washers rescued from Seattle high-rise: Everyone could see how high up they were. These window washers -- their company is called "Panefully Clean" - weren't cleaning anything by this time. Just stuck. And just about every head was stuck, too, looking up. "Looks pretty insane!" said Richard Tarkington after he'd been watching for 45 minutes.

"I see the two guys up there," said Tarkington, his neck craning toward the tower. "They look like they're stable. So it's not too bad. But they are stuck, that's for sure." Birdie Sharp was asked what her fascination was with it. "Because there's always something," said Sharp, laughing. "We had a man in a tree. Now we have men on the building."

Seattle firefighters gearing up on roof top of downtown high rise after window washing hanging scaffold became stuck.  Rescuers rappelled down from the top of the building to the platform and then helped the workers lower themselves down to street level using a harness and rope.

The men told Seattle fire officials they began washing the windows at the old Century Link building in downtown Seattle at about 10 a.m. Tuesday.  It was nearly 1 p.m. and they were just about done, when their platform stopped working. So Seattle Fire Rescue One was called in to bring them down. "We just verified the systems that the contractor already in place," said Seattle Fire Lt. Frank Brennan. "That they were satisfactory; that the workers were in good health."

Then firefighter Michael Vander Beek rappelled down to check on them. "Both the gentlemen were doing well on the platform," said Vander Beek. "I just checked in on them to make sure they were comfortable doing the rappel." And they were. Nearly two hours after they got stuck, each window washer managed to rappel safely to the ground.

"We do this regularly for training," said Vander Beek. "It all went as planned." In fact, this is the first time that firefighter got to do this in the real world. He has been with the rescue unit not quite a year, he says. The window washers declined to talk.

Scaffold Malfunctions In New York & Philadelphia

The FDNY said the two workers are window washers and their scaffold experienced a mechanical malfunction. The scaffolding is on the 17th floor and was tilting down. Rescue workers lowered down ropes and the two workers were secured.

First Responders Rescue Window Washers From Stuck Rig in Lower Manhattan: Two window washers who were stuck inside a scaffold dangling 15 stories above Lower Manhattan were rescued Tuesday morning by firefighters including one who rappelled down to them.

There were no indications of any injuries. The workers were wearing harnesses and additional gear was lowered to them by firefighters responding to the scene. The scaffold was hanging about 15 stories above the ground for approximately 20 minutes when the workers were brought in through a window at 33 Maiden Lane and Nassau Street. 

Broken glass fell from 1818 Market Street around lunchtime on Monday after a snapped wire broke windows in the building.

Snapped cable shatters glass in Center City high rise, closes Market Street sidewalk: Two blocks of sidewalk along Market Street were closed to foot traffic around noon on Monday after a cable on a window washer's scaffold broke and shattered windows in a Center City high rise building.

Glass fell to the ground in Center City Philadelphia after a cable broke on a high-rise scaffolding. It happened around 11 a.m. Monday at the Beneficial Bank building at 19th and Market streets. Officials tell us a gust of wind caught a power cord locking device and flung it into a 12th floor window. The glass shattered, sending most of the debris into an unoccupied office area. But a chunk of that glass did fall onto the roadway below.

Firefighters and police quickly converged on the scene and closed off that stretch of Market Street until the locking device was secured and the shattered glass was removed from the roadway. Of course, this is not the first time we've reported on debris falling from buildings in Philadelphia. Back in 2014, a 25 foot column came crashing down from the side of a parking garage at 19th and JFK Boulevard. And in 2009, debris tumbled from a building at 16th and Chestnut. No one was injured in either case, and fortunately the same can be said regarding Monday's incident.

Window Cleaners Sidewalk Collapse & Scaffold Malfunction

A new danger for window cleaners? Sidewalk collapses.

Sidewalk Collapse Leads to Scare for Window Cleaner at Oneida County Courthouse (Utica, N.Y.) -There was quite a scare outside the Oneida County Courthouse Wednesday morning. A window cleaner was about 30 feet up on a manlift when the sidewalk gave way below him.

A co-worker on the ground called authorities, who arrived shortly after 6 a.m., and firefighters were able to rescue the man. He had been wearing a harness, and walked away with just a few bruises. Crews spent the next few hours trying to safely remove the manlift. There is now a plate over the sidewalk, and it will be blocked off until it is repaired.

Scaffold malfunction in downtown Houston.

Window washers rescued outside of downtown building (Houston) - A couple of window washers had to be rescued Wednesday night after they got stuck six stories up outside a building downtown.

The incident happened just before 7 p.m. Wednesday at One Shell Plaza. Officials say the men were trying to fix the motor on a washing rig that locked up. That’s when they gave up and called the Houston Fire Department.

The workers were rescued by a firefighter who was on his last call, as he was retiring Tuesday after 39 years on the job. “It’s just what we do every day,” firefighter Wade Gillen said. “What other people don’t do all their life we do 10 times a day, you know?” Firefighters were unable to get the rig down, but they secured it to the side of the building for the night.

Denver Firefighters Kept Busy Saving Window Cleaners

The collapsed suspended platform. In the first incident two window cleaners were working from a suspended platform when one of the cables gave way, dropping one end of the platform.

Denver fire fighters busy with work at height:  Denver firefighters were kept busy last week, rescuing two men from a collapsed suspended platform and then a man from a boom lift that touched overhead power lines. In the first incident two window washers were working from a suspended platform aka swing stage at a height or around 30 metres, when one of the hoists/cables gave way, dropping one end of the platform.

The fire department just managed to reach the stranded men - both of whom were wearing harnesses – with their 105ft ladder platform. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the incident.

A closer look.

Then on Friday a man using a Genie S-85 rented from Sunstate Equipment managed to come into contact with some overhead power lines. The lift’s boom was fully retracted, but elevated to around 45 degrees or so. One report claims that the contact caused a fire on the machine, although the man was unhurt. He was wearing a full harness and lanyard and was carrying a fair bit of material including four large planks. Once again the Denver fire service came to the rescue, along with a crew from Xcel Energy. there were no injuries in either incident.

Rescued unharmed after contacting power lines.

Window Cleaner To The Rescue

Window cleaner to the rescue - Darren Fox saved an elderly woman after her toaster with faulty wiring caught fire.

​"Instinct just took over," Walsall window cleaner speaks after saving elderly woman from fire: An heroic window cleaner who came to the rescue of an elderly woman in need after her toaster set on fire in her Walsall flat has said "instinct just took over him." Darren Fox, who owns Fox Cleaning, was cleaning the woman's windows in her Rushall home when he spotted the smoke. He made his way inside, led the 89-year-old to safety and put the fire out with towels.

Speaking to the Advertiser after, the 38-year-old said: "I was really worried and scared but everything I did was instinctive. Instinct just took over me. "I am proud of what I did and it does feel like I was a hero. I rang my wife Lisa straight away and she congratulated me and couldn't believe it! "Firefighters told me I was really brave and that it could easily have been fatal. Nothing like this has ever happened in my 14 years of window cleaning but I would do it all over again if I had to."

Thirteen firefighters used breathing apparatus, a hose reel jet and positive pressure ventilation fan to tackle the blaze, which set fire to curtains in the living room on the ground floor of the semi-detached house.

The toaster set on fire at 9.45 am on Tuesday morning (April 12) at the woman's flat in Lichfield Street, Rushall and Darren immediately sprang into action to save her. He recalled: "I was cleaning her windows and I saw smoke coming through. I looked in and saw the toaster on fire so I went to the front door and was banging on it. She didn't know about the fire at first because she was in the bathroom but I shouted to her to come to the door and let me in.

"She was terrified and didn't know what to do but I told her to get out of the flat and I put a towel on the toaster. The fire was still coming through tough, it took four or five towels to stop. After I had done that I called the fire service and they arrived in two to three minutes."

Watch commander Richard Cooper, of Bloxwich fire service, heaped praise on the window cleaner. He said: "He did a terrific job, he was very brave. He was doing his rounds and saw smoke coming through the window. Aware the woman was inside, he banged on the door for her attention and when he got inside he isolated the electrics and put damp towels over the toaster. "Because the toaster had a plastic surround it could easily have released toxic smoke and been a lot worse. The woman was very shaken up and didn't really understand what had gone on."

The local window cleaner sounded the alarm after seeing smoke come from the windows of the property in Lichfield Street, Rushall and rang West Midlands Fire Service.

Window Washers Rescued On Houston Marathon Oil Tower

A motor failed on the pulley system, stranding two window washers outside of a building in Houston.

2 window washers rescued from halfway up Houston skyscraper — Houston firefighters have rescued two window washers whose electric platform stalled halfway up a 41-story office building. Nobody was hurt in Monday afternoon's rescue on the side of the Marathon Oil Tower.

Houston Fire Department spokesman Jay Evans says emergency personnel were summoned on reports of a power issue with the lift. Evans says firefighters went into the building and popped a window out on a floor near the men. Firefighters extended a small ladder, then attached safely lines to the workers and the platform. The window washers climbed the ladder and were pulled into the building.

The incident lasted just over an hour, on a clear afternoon with light winds and temperatures in the low 70s. Officials aren't sure what prompted the power loss to the window washing platform.

Elevated Platform Rescue Merseyside

Five fire engines were called to the scene on Old Hall Street where two men were stranded on a raised platform at around midday today.

Two window cleaners rescued by fire service after becoming stuck outside top-floor window: Two window cleaners were rescued after they got stuck outside the top floor of a city centre office block.

Five fire engines were called to the scene on Old Hall Street where two men were stranded on a raised platform at around midday today. The men, employed by Birkenhead cleaning company Clearground, were cleaning the top floor windows of a building that includes law firm Hill Dickinson.

But one cleaner said the control for the platform stopped working - leaving two of the three staff stranded high in the air for around an hour. Search and rescue officers from the Merseyside fire service raised their own platform to be side-by-side with the men. The cleaners’ platform was then strapped temporarily to the building to keep them secure.

Cleaner Will Taylor said they became worried as the wind picked up.

A man in the top floor office only a few metres away and other passers-by looked on as the men were brought down safely by 1pm. Will Taylor, 58, said: “We got stuck up there and were up there for about an hour. The control had stopped working, both for us at the top or my mate at the bottom. “You worry, of course you worry - it was windy. My mate was shaking. We called our boss. You want to get the job done.”

He said they had already cleaned all the lower floors of the building, so would finish work for the day. He praised the fire service for their efforts adding: “They are brilliant, all of them. You would be lost without them.”

NY Rescue.. Sort Of

Two window washers are stuck on a scaffold near the top of a Manhattan high-rise building in New York. The workers became trapped near the 62nd floor of the building at West 54th Street and Broadway. Firefighters later cut a hole in a glass window and safely removed the workers from the scaffold.

Firefighters Rescue Window Washers Trapped Outside 65th Floor of Manhattan High Rise: A pair of window washers were trapped on their rig more than 60 stories up outside a high-rise hotel in midtown Manhattan for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said. The washers were working outside Marriott's Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square hotel at Broadway and West 54th Street when they became stuck outside the 65th floor at about 1:30 p.m, officials said.

Firefighters were called to the scene and they were able to secure the workers with a rope. They then pulled them to safety at about 2:30 p.m. Video from the scene showed firefighters creating a hole in the window near the scaffolding. Several other firefighters could be seen on the roof of the skyscraper, and they were able to use ropes to pull the rig toward the window. The two workers were then pulled inside. 

Louis Merced, a scaffoldng mechanic who helped firefighters with the rescue described the demeanor of the window washers after the harrowing ordeal. "They came off the rig laughing, joking," Merced said. "To them it's not that serious either. They were not hurt."

Merced, who works for the company that manages the scaffolding, said that the men weren't in any real danger and that he had the scaffolding working again before firefighters cut out the window. An electrical issue was blamed for causing the scaffolding to get stuck. Several streets around the building were cordoned off as crews worked. 

Two workers were rescued Tuesday afternoon after their scaffold stalled outside a Midtown high-rise building. The workers, became stuck outside the 62nd floor of 1717 Broadway, between West 54th and 55th streets, when the scaffolding stopped working around 1:20 p.m. Firefighters said the scaffold was stabilized with fire department ropes, but since mechanics couldn't get the scaffolding moving again, the FDNY had to cut through a pane of glass in order bring the workers inside.

No injuries were reported, and the entire incident lasted just over an hour. Tom Dembinski, the workers' supervisor at Permasteelisa Group, said the pair was done for the day and on their way back up to the roof when the scaffolding stalled. "A malfunction on the scaffold," he said. "The scaffold shut down, and they were stuck out there...it's the nature of the beast."

The operator of the scaffold, however, criticized the FDNY response and called firefighters' actions unnecessary. "There was no need for the fire department at all," Louis Merced said. "This was overdone." He said the FDNY acted too quickly and that he already had the scaffold active again after a breaker problem caused the stall. "They were not in danger," he said. "It's not like the scaffold was falling. Nothing happened. There was no problem where they were in danger." There is no word on whether the conditions played any role in the malfunction.

Tallest In Texas Rescue

Two workers have been pulled through an open window to safety after the scaffolding they were working on fell on one side, dangling precariously outside Houston's tallest skyscraper.

Window washers rescued from dangling scaffold outside Houston's tallest skyscraper: Two workers were pulled through an open window to safety after the scaffold they were working on fell on one side, dangling precariously outside Houston's tallest skyscraper. According to the Houston Fire Department, the workers were at the 71st floor when they experienced a motor malfunction and radioed for help.

HFD High Angle Rescue Teams arrived. There were also windows glaziers on scene and a mechanic from the window washing company. HFD was able to establish contact with the two men on the scaffold and they were brought in through a 71st floor window after the glass was removed by the two glaziers. There were no injuries and this incident was declared under control at 11:10 a.m. JPMorgan Chase Tower downtown is Houston's tallest building, at 75 stories (1,049 feet) tall. That's just shy of three and a half football fields.

Firefighters rescued two window washers trapped on a broken scaffold on the JP Morgan Chase Tower in downtown Houston on Monday morning.

HFD rescues window washers 71 floors up:  HOUSTON - Houston firefighters responded to the JPMorgan Chasetower in downtown where a window washer's scaffolding partially collapsed. Fire fighters were seen helping carry out the rescue operation before 11 a.m. above Texas Street near Travis. It appeared one half of the scaffolding's support lines gave way due to a motor failure. The incident happened near the 71st floor of the 75-floor building. There were no reports of injuries. The rescue operation came to an end before 11:30 a.m. after firefighters managed to remove a window and bring the workers to safety. The cause of the incident is under investigation. The tower is widely known as the tallest building in Texas.

By 11:30 a.m. the men had been allowed to escape the platform through a window in the building.  Work continued to stabilize the window washing platform. 

Houston window washers rescued from dangling skyscraper platform: Two workers have been rescued from a dangling window-washing scaffold 71 stories above downtown Houston. According to the Houston Fire Department, the two workers were pulled to safety through a 71st story window of the 75-story Chase Bank Building at about 11:10 a.m. Monday.

The men had become trapped on the dangling scaffolding at about 10:37 a.m. when the platform experienced a motor malfunction. For approximately 25 minutes, the scaffold remained dangling over downtown while the men awaited rescue. No injuries were reported. Fire officials still have Travis blocked near the scene while crews worked to secure the platform.

Terrifying ordeal ... the men were left hanging from the side of JPMorgan Chase tower in Houston, Texas for an hour. 

Window cleaners rescued after dangling 300m above the ground for an hour: Two window washers were at the top of a 75-storey tower when their cleaning rig malfunctioned, leaving them dangling at a 45-degree angle. The men were 300 metres off the ground on a platform suspended from the roof of the 75-storey JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston, Texas’ tallest building, when one of two elevation motors broke down.
KHOU 11 News reports the platform was left listing for about an hour before firefighters could rescue the workers on Monday morning. Fortunately, the workers were secured with additional safety harnesses separate from the window washing platform. Rescuers removed a window on the 71st floor and pulled the men to safety. “That looks like just about my worst nightmare. It’s pretty terrifying. I’m sure those guys are really cold up there too,” witness Tyler Ferguson told KPRC.
Witness Amy Lafargue said: “They were hanging on for dear life, for sure. They were facing the building looking in. So I’m sure that everybody inside the Chase Tower was freaking out hoping that they were going to be OK. They were just holding on.”
Houston Fire Department spokesperson Kenyatta Parker said the rescue was challenging but the men were safe. “When you’re dealing with something so high, that’s when you have to bring in the rescue team for a high-angle rescue,” Parker told KPRC Houston. “Certain things that they know that an ordinary person wouldn’t. It’s tedious, I’m certain, on their end. Just sit back and let them do what they do.” The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident. The window washers worked for Jobs Building Services.

Window Washer Rescue Downtown Cleveland

A window washer was rescued Monday morning after becoming stranded while dangling outside a Cleveland building. It happened shortly before 11 a.m. on E. 9th Street and Teresa Court.

Window washer rescued in downtown Cleveland (Downtown Cleveland, OH) - A window washer was plucked from the side of a downtown Cleveland building in a dramatic rescue Monday. Firefighters performed a rope rescue at East 9th and Theresa Lane. They were called to the scene around 10:15 a.m. It's believed an equipment malfunction left the worker stranded about stories up. Firefighters went on the roof and lowered him down. He was not injured and went back to work.

Cleveland firefighters helped rescue a window washer who became trapped on a ledge downtown by setting up a rope system. When crews arrived, they found the window washer on a ledge on the 13th floor of a building at East 9th Street and Theresa Court. The man told emergency crews that his carabiner clip broke, but he wasn't concerned about falling and was just going to continue cleaning.

Cleveland firefighters rescued a window washer who was stuck on the 13th floor ledge of a downtown building. The man became trapped about 10:20 a.m. Monday outside the IMG Center on East 9th Street near Theresa Court.

Cleveland fire spokesman Larry Gray said the crew decided the best way to help the man was by safely bringing him down. He was on the ledge for a total of about 30 minutes, authorities said. EMS checked out the man and he was found to be in good condition.

He was stuck for about a half hour before firefighters arrived. The man was washing windows when the hook connecting him to his harness broke, fire officials said. Cleveland firefighters went to the roof and set up a pulley system so the man could scale the building and lower himself to the ground. The man was checked by paramedics and then went back to work. East 9th street was partially blocked during the rescue.

Window Cleaner Honoured

Window cleaner Gareth Salmon survived explosions and smoke to save an elderly woman from her burning flat. David Domoney, from ITVs Love your Garden, Gareth Salmon and Chief Fire & Rescue Advisor CFO Peter Holland.

Ruislip father honoured for saving woman from flat fire: A Ruislip window cleaner has been honoured after saving an elderly woman's life rescuing her from a burning flat. Gareth Salmon, 39, of Marlborough Avenue, was cleaning a block of flats when he noticed smoke coming from one of the windows. He immediately stopped what he was doing and rang all the bells of the flats to find out if someone was in there, and a neighbour told him an elderly woman was stuck inside.

The father-of-two said, "I kicked the front door down and got through all the smoke. I had to crawl along the floor for so far, but I wasn’t able to breathe and I couldn’t reach her." Finally gaining access after flames forced him to retreat, an explosion blew him out of the door. Not giving up, he re-entered the property and saved the woman. “The gas had exploded, so that threw me back out the door," he said.

“I went back in but it was still full of smoke and luckily I stumbled over her as she was lying in the hallway, and I think because she was lying down she was still ok. “She was burnt but I managed to pick her up and get myself out through the kitchen and on to the balcony and get her out. About a minute after that it exploded so there was a big fireball out the window, and it just completely wiped out the flat - I was lucky really!”

Brave Mr Salmon didn't think twice about saving the woman and didn't have “time to take in what was happening”. He said: “I was just concentrating. Because I could hear her, I was just determined to get her out. “I was thinking: 'I’ve got to get her before the fire gets any worse.' There’s no way I couldn’t go in.”

The dramatic moments all happened on New Years Eve of 2013-2014, which ended with the woman being airlifted to hospital and London Fire Brigade tackling the blaze. Luckily Mr Salmon wasn't hurt at all, and said: “I was just lucky… when I went in, I just put a cloth around my mouth and I didn’t get any smoke inhalation.”

Spirit of Fire Awards: Mr Salmon was awarded with the title of Adult Hero at the star-studded Spirit of Fire Awards 2015, which took place at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel on October 2, hosted by The Fire Fighters Charity, and presented by BBC newsreader Nicholas Owen.

The Spirit of Fire Awards are supported by Infographics UK Ltd, the developer of FireWatch and FloSuite software for the Fire & Rescue Service, and honour members of the fire community and members of the public by recognising acts of astonishing courage and bravery, as well as dedication to The Fire Fighters Charity.

A stellar line-up of award presenters included comedian Russell Howard; actors Niamh McGrady, Bhasker Patel and John Partridge; sports presenter Diana Binks; TV gardener David Domoney; and Great British Bake Off contestant Mat Riley.

The awards were followed by a Downing Street reception for nominees, hosted by Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. He said: “I’ve been inspired by the accounts of self-sacrifice and dedication that the winners and nominees of this year’s Spirit of Fire awards have shown, both at individual incidents and in their support for the Fire Fighters Charity.

“This charity provides world-class support and treatment for serving and retired firefighters, as well as their families, and it is in recognition of this that we continue to support its work. I would like to congratulate all those involved in the awards, and to thank them for all their hard work and commitment.”

Receiving the accolade was “mixed emotions” for humble Mr Salmon. He said: “You go there and the room is full of firefighters who do it full-time for a living, and you think really, they should be getting all the honour. “But it’s still really nice to be recognised for what you’ve done.”

London Firefighters Rescue Window Cleaners

Two window cleaners were trapped outside the 10th floor of a 35-storey London City skyscraper.

Firefighters save window cleaners after being trapped up City skyscraper for hours: Two window cleaners were trapped outside the 10th floor of a 35-storey City skyscraper for hours yesterday afternoon, before being rescued by London Fire Brigade. The men had been cleaning windows at the Undershaft, or St Helen's -  formerly known as the Aviva Tower of the Commercial Union building - next to Leadenhall Market.

Three crews worked alongside building management to lower the cradle to the first floor, with the men then being brought down to ground level using an aerial ladder platform. The men were stuck outside the building for "a number of hours prior to the brigade being called,", LFB said, but were not injured. The brigade was called at 4.17pm and the incident was over at 6.16pm. A fire engine from Dowgate fire station, an aerial ladder platform from Greenwich fire station and a fire rescue unit from Islington fire station attended the incident.

Window cleaners left dangling 10 floors up Aviva Tower for hours after 'pulley malfunction' - City workers downed tools to watch a nail-biting rescue operation after two window cleaners were left dangling 10 storeys up the Aviva Tower for hours. The drama unfolded yesterday afternoon in the 35-storey building, official name St Helen's, in St Mary Axe opposite the Gherkin.

The two men, who are familiar faces in the area, got into trouble at about lunchtime when their cradle is believed to have developed a fault. One witness, who works at Costa Coffee in the ground floor of the building, said the men were only able to operate one side of the pulley system – meaning they could change the angle of their box but not its height. “It’s automatic but it got stuck,” she said. “One side was going down but the other was stuck so they could have slipped out of one side.

“We had to close the shop at 5pm but they’d been up there for seven hours. “They had a phone so they were speaking with other people on the ground. They were very high.” The window cleaners, one of whom was thought to be about 18 while the other is an older man, have been signed off work until Monday while they recover, it is believed. “We see them every day,” said the barista. “They come here for a coffee. I don’t know their names but I know what they drink. “Everybody from the building was shocked – everybody just stopped working.”

Three fire crews helped staff in the building lower the faulty cradle down to the first floor where they were rescued by an aerial ladder platform. Neither of them was hurt. The rescue, which began at about 4.15pm after the men had been stuck for a number of hours, lasted until 6.15pm.