Retiring Window Cleaner Was Innovator

Les Hulicsko, founder of Rite Way Manufacturing and Python Manufacturing, is finally retiring at age 78 from the Regina company he started.

Hulicsko retiring on his own terms - Innovator built many devices: Les Hulicsko escaped from Hungary on Dec. 8, 1956, after the revolution he supported was crushed by Soviet forces, forcing him to flee to North America. But the Russians couldn't crush the engineering student's revolutionary spirit. In many ways, Hulicsko never stopped being a revolutionary - revolutionizing everything from rock picking and street sweeping to pothole patching and window cleaning. He was always designing, building and marketing new products and starting new businesses from the time he arrived in his adopted country in 1957.

"Think outside of the box. That's the way we did things," said Hulicsko, on the eve of his last official day at work at Superior-Roads Solutions/Rite Way Manufacturing, the company he founded more than 40 years ago. "And, of course, they're going to tell you it cannot be done. But I said a lot of times: 'Well, watch me!'" Hulicsko said with a laugh.

Of course, serendipity played a role in the 78 year old serial entrepreneur and inventor's remarkably eventful life. But his luck was largely of his own making, driven by a relentless desire to find ways of doing things better, faster and more efficiently.

When Hulicsko left Hungary at 20, he went to France, where he stayed in a refugee camp and worked at a manufacturing plant for eight months. But he dreamt of going to the U.S. "As a young boy, my dream was to go to the Americas. Of course, it was out of the question because of the Iron Curtain. But the opportunity came when the revolution came. And, as it turned out, it was a necessary thing for me to do.'

A few years ago, Hulicsko discovered that Hungary's infamous death squad - the so-called Pufajkas, named for the large WWII vintage Russian overcoats they wore - had searched his former residence in 1957. "They were looking for me. They raided the place. (His former roommate) was afraid they were going to shoot him if they found my rifle. They didn't find my rifle ... I really didn't know how lucky I was.'

Another bit of serendipity was his decision to relocate to Regina. "My hope was to get into the U.S. ... but the quota (for refugees) was filled. I got tired of waiting, and Canada was open, so I came to Canada." He chose Regina because it was in the middle of the continent and close to the U.S. where he intended to immigrate. But, once he got here, he never left.

Another bit of luck was aggravating an old wrestling injury while working construction in Regina. "I reinjured the knee ... and couldn't work in construction. So a friend said, 'why don't you come and clean windows?' That was my break. I got into an industry that was very simple, I couldn't speak the language," and his boss (ironically, a Russian immigrant) was illiterate, but very successful.

"He was telling me how successful the business was, but I saw the inefficiency in the business.' So after a year or two, Hulicsko started Rite Way, a window cleaning company "because I thought I could do better.' Soon Rite Way was cleaning windows in the tallest buildings in the city, including the Legislative Building, because of innovations Hulicsko introduced.

http://www.cfee.org/en/pdf/spiritofadventure5.pdf

For example, Hulicsko noticed that window cleaning was labour intensive, with highly skilled and paid workers doing the labour; so he replaced the laborious process of cleaning windows with a sponge, cheesecloth and chamois with a simple device, known as a squeegee. And he gave his cleaners several sizes of squeegees to clean various sizes of window panes.

He also invested an astronomical $7,000 into a "Sky Climber,' a motorized scaffold or deck for cleaning windows on skyscrapers. When Hulicsko complained about the cost, saying he could buy two Volkswagens for the same money, the salesman told him: "Les, if you can clean windows with Volkswagens, go ahead and do it." He also learned a valuable lesson. "If you build a tool that is valuable, it doesn't really matter what it costs."

Hulicsko's next business venture was rock pickers. As a sideline to his window cleaning business, Hulicsko set up a machine shop to design and custom build one-off pieces of equipment and road signs in the late 1960s. During a slow period, an employee suggested he manufacture rock pickers, which were used for clearing rocks from agricultural land. The problem was you needed two rock pickers: a rotary machine to pick up small rocks and a fork-type machine to pick up large ones.

After considerable thought and experimentation, Hulicsko designed a rock picker that could do both, utilizing hydraulics to increase the power of the machine. "I had the idea of using hydraulics to drive the reel, then we could do both jobs.' He also simplified the design, reducing the number of bats on the reel, which reduced the incidence of rocks clogging the machines.

His rock pickers were such a runaway success that other manufactures soon copied Hulicsko's design, making hydraulic-driven rock pickers the standard in the industry. Since 1972, Rite Way has been manufacturing several sizes of rock pickers at its plant in Imperial, north of Regina.

In the late 1970s, Hulicsko stumbled onto another business that needed his talents. As part of his window cleaning business, Hulicsko was doing parking lot maintenance, using street sweepers to clean the lots. "I would (harangue) the engineer who designed these machines because they were always breaking down and if you needed to fix the machines you had to tear them apart."

So he designed a tow-type sweeper that could be pulled behind a tractor, using hydraulics in place of "sprockets and chains' to reduce the number of moving parts. "We built 75 of these machines. Some of them are still running. So that got me into the sweeper business.' Sweeprite Manufacturing, as the street sweeper company was called, began in 1978. "Shortly after I built a self-propelled unit - the Sweep-Rite 2400 - and a slightly smaller one called the Sweep-Rite 2200. It was really revolutionary."

The S2500 uses proven  sweeping technology to provide you with excellent sweeping performance. The S2500 takes on millings, trash, sand, gravel, dirt, leaves, bottles and paper. And, no special driver's license is required to operate the S2500.

Once again, using hydraulics, Hulicsko improved the power, capability and reliability of self-propelled street sweepers. "It revolutionized the street sweeping industry." And just like the rock picking business, all street sweepers use hydraulics today; Hulicsko was just the first.

Of course, not all Les's inventions caught on like wildfire. Hulicsko designed a combine in the early 2000s, called the Python, which replaced all the pulleys and belts of a conventional combine with - you guessed it - hydraulics. While he did manufacture a number of the machines, the Python faced some pretty tough competition, in the form of the giants of the industry, New Holland, John Deere, to name a few.

The combine project died a natural death, but the name lives on in the Python 5000, a one-person pothole patcher that probably ranks as one of Hulicsko's most ingenious inventions. It can patch a pothole in two minutes, while the operator sits safely in an air-conditioned cab, reducing both labour costs and workplace injuries. The Python 5000 continues to be built at the Regina plant,

In 2012, Python Manufacturing Inc. was taken over by a Saskatoon-based venture capital fund, Golden Opportunities, and the federal Business Development Bank of Canada, which bought the business from Hulicsko. Earlier this year, the company changed its name from Python Manufacturing to SuperiorRoads Solutions to manufacture and market the pothole patcher and street sweepers, while Rite-Way Manufacturing remains the company's brand name for rock pickers, harrows, land rollers and other field preparation equipment.

As a businessman, Hulicsko has had his ups and downs, having started, lost and bought back his various businesses several times. "It's been an interesting, roller-coaster ride, but overall it's been a very rewarding ride,' he said, without a trace of bitterness or regret.

While he won't be coming into the office at 1891 Albert St. N. on a regular basis anymore, Hulicsko isn't ready to give up working. "I can't see myself retiring. I've got to do something. I've got ideas on many things and, of course, not all of them can be achieved. Some of them may be out of reach, some of the things I'm going to be working on ... (will be) on a project by project basis.' During his long career, Hulicsko has been called many things: a dreamer, an inventor, an entrepreneur, even a genius. Hulicsko prefers to think of himself as an innovator, rather than an inventor.

"I had the image of an inventor - I've seen so many of them - they could dream, but they could never really put (their dreams) into practice. I had dreams, but I didn't try to sell (an idea) until I could build it and produce it. I'm more of a realistic inventor, if there is such a thing.'

Window Cleaning News

Window washers clean the glass on the Bolshoy Ice Dome. Monday at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, including Team USA vs. Switzerland in women's hockey, the women's supercombined, men's curling, speedskating, and much more.

Window washer rescue near Hopkins.

Two Rescued From Loose Scaffolding At Hopkins: City fire department crews used ladders to rescue two workers stuck on a malfunctioning scaffolding at one of the buildings at Johns Hopkins Hospital complex. Ian Brennan of the fire department said that a window washing scaffolding appears to be hanging almost perpendicular to the windows at the Outpatient Building, or a nearby hospital building, off of Broadway and McElderry. Brennan declined to say who owns the building but a photo posted on Twitter appears to be the Outpatient Building at Hopkins. There were no serious injuries reported.

Water saving by California government: Here are some of the actions that California state government is taking to reduce water use by 20 percent.

— Department of Transportation is cutting back irrigation along California roadways.

— New, non-essential landscaping projects will be stopped.

— Washing of many state vehicles is banned, except for health or safety reasons.

— Contracts for water-intensive window washing at state buildings are being canceled.

— Signs in state buildings emphasize smart water use in bathrooms, kitchens.

Todays twenty-somethings are a generation blighted by debt and overwhelmed by consumerism. On the plus side, at least they don't have to go down the mines. This documentary delves into the wallets of four such young folk, starting with Ricky, a window cleaner with a seven-year-old son and another child on the way. Cleaning contracts come and go, but Ricky has his heart set on the British welterweight title, finding unwitting sparring partners in those who settle their bills late. Determined to give his kids a better life than his own childhood self, he hopes boxing will provide his payday as he trains hard for the biggest match of his life.

Small businesses losing faith in banks: James Benamor, founder of Amigo Loans, said: "Small businesses have now lost all faith and the lifeblood of our economy; the mechanics, the window cleaners, the shop owners are turning to dangerous payday loans.” He added that payday lenders are spending enormous amounts on marketing in comparison to more responsible lenders who lack such a voice. One in 10 microbusinesses believe banks aren’t remotely interested in lending them, with 2.5 million saying they wouldn’t even bother knocking on a bank’s door.

The figures also revealed that small business are looking at alternative options, as 21% of microbusinesses took out an alternative loan last year, while 29% approached an alternative lender. Benamor added: “Payday loan sharks needn’t be the first port of call for microbusinesses seeking funding. It’s essential they are aware of the safer and more cost efficient lending options available, such as credit unions, peer to peer loans and guarantor loans. “We would like to see a not-for-profit, all of market comparison site for loans, which all lenders are forced to promote on their advertising." Small businesses remain pessimistic about the future, with 45% believing that bank lending to small businesses will not increase in the next year.

Members of Regina Fire and Protective Services and the Regina Police Service were at Hill Centre Tower III on Monday to keep watch on a shattered pane of glass on the 20th storey until the glass was safely removed.

Falling glass closes downtown street: A block of 12th Avenue in downtown Regina was shut down for a couple of hours Monday morning after a piece of a window fell from an upper storey on Hill Centre Tower III. Gerard Kay, deputy chief for Regina Fire and Protective Services, said a call came in at around 10:30 a.m. about glass falling down from a building. He said when crews arrived they discovered a fourby-eight-foot window of the mechanical penthouse located on the 20th floor had shattered and shards of glass had fallen to the street below. "Fire crews worked with police to cordon off the area," said Kay. "We wanted to keep both pedestrian and vehicle traffic out of the area." Kay said as a precaution all the people who were in the tower at the time of the incident were kept inside while workers removed the remaining glass. Four vehicles were also removed from the street below where the glass was falling, for their protection.

Members of the Regina fire dept., and the police service were at Hill Centre Tower III to keep their eye on a shattered pane of glass on a high floor, possibly the 19th of Tower III until it was made safe by window washers.

"A window-washing crew was called in and they rappelled down the side of the building and basically knocked out the remaining glass from that pane, and firefighters backed them up," said Kay. "Our high-angle team was also there just in case someone got stuck." The area was reopened to vehicle and pedestrian traffic at about 12:30 p.m. It took two hours to complete the call because the street needed to be secured and all hazards needed to be removed before work to remove the remaining glass could happen, he said. "There was a fear that a larger piece would go and all of a sudden that acts like a sail so it could end up anywhere (and) that's always our biggest fear," said Kay. "Fortunately, I believe it was tempered glass and it's designed to shatter and not come down in large pieces."

He had no explanation as to why the glass shattered. "We are going to defer that one to the building owner and (let them) look at it from a proper engineering standard, so they can figure out what caused this window to break," he said. This is the second time since the office tower was completed in December 2012 that a piece of glass has fallen from an upper floor. On Aug. 26, a broken window on the 20th storey sent glass into the street. At that time, Roseanne Hill, managing director and vice-president of leasing for Harvard Developments, said the window had been cracked for a while. She said sometimes in new buildings, a small percentage of panes of glass can crack spontaneously due to pressure and natural occlusions in the glass. Hill said the other two towers have also experienced cracked window panes and the normal practice was to tape the window and then replace it.

PageRank Redemption: Escaping the Prison of a Low Google Ranking - With the most recent Google algorithm update, Hummingbird, the ruling search engine is paying more attention to natural semantic language. This newly refined “search intelligence” focuses on real-life questions that users ask when utilizing the platform and recognizes the “how”, “what”, “why”, “where”, “when” questions to quickly return answers rather than results.

This means you’ll have to ensure your website’s content is actually answering the questions of those seeking your business. If a user searches “Where is the closest bakery to my location?” your newly optimized bakery website better answer that question. Or if potential customers search “How much do commercial window cleaning services cost?”, your price should be displayed in the appropriate context on your site.  Take a moment to research your customers’ top questions through surveys, comments, and internal brainstorming sessions.

Local balloon artist Loni Trude helped Tom Lopac with his window cleaning business.

Loni Trude Makes Balloons Her Business: "Look! I made something that will picture your business," Trude said. For weeks, Trude had been sending BW email updates on her adventures as a balloon artist. Starting in December, she began twisting balloon sculptures customized for businesses across the Treasure Valley, submitting photographs of them to local newspapers as under-the-radar advertising and charging $50 for the service. She said that she was able to generate $850 worth of advertising for her first client, Tom Lopac of Picture Perfect Windows, based on print advertising costs. "A lot of the newspapers liked the idea. They needed content ... so they pursued publishing a brief story along with a picture of what she's done," Lopac said. The value of exposure marketing has long been ambiguous--it can be difficult to quantify results--but for companies like Picture Perfect Windows (which received a Trude-crafted, window-washing Santa Claus), exposure and word of mouth can be revenue drivers. Lopac said he may never know exactly how much exposure Trude's photos gave his window washing business, but to him, the experience has been beneficial. "It was a very positive image for our company to be represented in that way," he said.

Toby Harnden - Team of window cleaners, K Street NW, Washington DC.

New window cleaning franchise opens in Xenia: Fish Window Cleaning has opened a new franchise location at 74 North Orange St., Xenia. The location is owned by Shane Hartley. Prior to joining FiSH, Hartley was a police officer/investigator for nearly 13 years and has been in the Army for the past 27 years. He was mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He returned from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2012, earning a bronze star for working with the Afghan National Army, according to a company release. “Our franchise owners get to draw on FISH’s thirty-five years of knowledge and experience. FISH offers proven methods, training, a nationally recognizable business name, and uniformity,” said Nathan Merrick, vice president of franchise development. “Shane’s vast business experience partnered with his passion and enthusiasm is sure to make his business successful.”

OxBox was formed from former members of Witney TV – a community TV project – and has spread across the county. As the group looks to celebrate its third birthday on March 18, it will launch a new online radio station for Oxfordshire. But all of its 50 contributors work on the project in their spare time, balancing full-time jobs with the demands of an ever-growing website. OxBox can now boast an audience of 30,000 people, which in part could be put down to its match highlights of Oxford City FC matches and its promotion of upcoming county bands. Adie Gargan (pictured) will host one of the new shows on the radio station. Mr Gargan, 42, of Madley Park, Witney, is a window cleaner by day and soon-to-be ‘Steve Wright’-style co-presenter on OxBox radio. The father-of-two said: “I do quite a bit of acting and I have experience in filming and I started doing this about 18 months ago. “I really like the community side of things and am really looking forward to the radio show. It will be a bit of banter and getting people to phone in and stuff like that."

JLG’s 1500SJ has three steering modes including conventional front two-wheel, crab and four-wheel coordinated. The oscillating axle moves 12 inches for better traction and to keep all four wheels on the ground.

Trico Lift Adds Four More JLG1500 SJP Telescopic Booms to Its Fleet: Trico Lift recently announced the availability of four additional JLG1500SJP telescopic boom lifts in its rental fleet; the JLG1500SJP with its 150-ft. elevated platform height is suited for applications including window cleaning and cellular tower construction. “Trico Lift serves the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, which are areas of this country that have resumed and/or maintained large contracting projects where these machines are critical - but perhaps too costly to own,” said Trico Lift President and CEO Chris Carmolingo. “We are pleased to be able to provide accessibility to these additional machines and are confident that we can put them to work immediately where they are needed.”

Father-of-three found hanged at Pendle farm - A father of three was found hanged at his remote farm amid a raft of money and personal worries, an inquest heard. Stephen Haigh was concerned about a tax bill, a looming family court case and even a speeding course he was due to attend, Burnley Coroner’s Court was told. The 51-year-old, who ran his own contract window-cleaning business, was discovered by his estranged wife Katie at Thorny Bank Farm, off Jinny Lane, Barley, on October 31. An investigation by police indicated there was no third-party involvement.

His wife Katie Haigh said her husband was ‘eccentric’ and kept problems to himself, never giving any indication of wanting to take his own life. But he had left a series of small notes, including a line echoing the late comic Spike Milligan which read: ‘I told you I was poorly’. Mrs Haigh said he had discussed wanting the line as the epitaph on his headstone, convincing her that he had intended to harm himself. She told the inquest he was worried at paying a tax bill and the prospect of attending a court hearing over maintenance issues with an ex-partner. “Stephen struggled with expressing himself and he didn’t cope well in social situations,” she said.

“He would have hated the thought of having to go through this process. He couldn’t have coped with it and he was very worried and he asked me if I would come with him.” East Lancashire assistant coroner Mark Williams said he was satisified, after the note had been explained, that with the financial and personal issues he faced, Mr Haigh had taken his own life.

Police launched probe after finding body of man who had lay dead for nine days in Hartlepool house - A dad of six lay dead in his blood-stained flat for nine days, an inquest heard. Mystery surrounded the circumstances in which James Wallace, 54, was found at his home in Wensleydale Street, Hartlepool, and police launched an extensive probe. There had been a suggestion he had told police he was being harrassed for money, and there was also a 999 call made from his mobile phone which was abandoned two weeks before his death. But after a major investigation involving tracing Mr Wallace’s last movements, house-to-house inquiries, CCTV and mobile phone analysis, an inquest into his death ruled out any foul play.

Hartlepool Coroner’s Court heard concerned neighbours contacted Mr Wallace’s landlord, Endeavour Housing, on August 22 last year, having not seen him for a week. Endeavour Housing then contacted police and uniformed officers had to force entry. Mr Wallace, a window cleaner, was found face down near his settee and blood was found in various places, including the settee and on internal doors. Officers from CID were drafted in and the scene was secured as a potential crime scene. Town coroner Malcolm Donnelly told the inquest there was no sign of forced entry or a disturbance, and suggested Mr Wallace had injured himself in a fall in his house. He said: “It could be interpreted as consistent with a person staggering around the room.” Mr Donnelly said inquiries were made into Mr Wallace’s lifestyle and it appeared he had a “drink issue”.

Detective Sergeant Joanne Wright added: “I’m more than satisfied that nothing suspicious happened and there was no third party involvement.” Forensic pathologist Mark Egan said there was a large number of injuries including cuts to the head, and some injuries suggested Mr Wallace had been moving around on his hands and knees. He added that Mr Wallace had moderate coronary artery disease and this could have made him more susceptible to the effects of blood loss.

Forensic scientist Sammy Warner, who specialises in analysis of blood patterns, said there were no obvious signs of an assault at the flat. Mr Donnelly added: “I think he banged his head as a result of an accident, we don’t know precisely where, we never will.” He recorded a verdict of accidental death. After the hearing, Mr Wallace’s family said they were satisfied with the ruling. Michael Wallace said: “There were doubts, but the experts couldn’t have done any better.” Mr Wallace’s daughter Caroline said: “I feel lots better now that we know.”

BT launches home smartphone to block nuisance calls - Following the success of its first landland nuisance call blocking phone, BT has launched a smartphone for use in the home. Calls from companies offering claims against banks which have mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance or services like window cleaning can be filtered out, alongside international, withheld numbers or calls from unknown numbers.

Sisters secret fundraising for Atherton parents' wedding: Weddings can be dauntingly expensive but for one remarkable schoolgirl it is a fundraising challenge worth taking on to see her parents walk down the aisle. Nine-year-old Melissa Todd stunned her parents by announcing that she wanted to help them pay for their special day by selling bracelets and necklaces she has made with her six-year-old sister Courtney and cousin MacKenzie Hartley-Neal, aged 10. The girls have been busy making the jewellery out of wool in the hope of selling them to help pay for the wedding which their parents John Todd, a window cleaner, and Lyndsey Neal have always wanted but not been able to afford. Melissa, of Seaforth Avenue, Atherton, said: "My parents have been engaged for a really long time, since before I was born I think. "I would probably faint to actually see them walk down the aisle." The Atherton St George's Primary School pupil had begun secretly planning the day and wrote to the Journal in a bid to gain more publicity for her fundraising appeal before finally spilling the beans to her mum on Sunday. Lyndsey said: "It is such an amazing thing for her to have wanted to do but I think there are much needier people out there than us, so Melissa is going to carry on fundraising among our friends and family.

Gate fans remember Alan 'best ever header of a ball' - Fans from Margate FC have paid tribute to club star Alan Blackburn who died this month. A striker, Mr Blackburn who played for the club in the 1960s, also played for West Ham United and Halifax Town. One Gate supporter Rich Garner said: "He was the best header of a ball that I ever saw anywhere and a nice man to boot. When playing with the lads up the rec we used to try to imitate his heading ability."

On the club's forum, Harvey Lockwood wrote: "Was in awe of him in my younger days. LEGEND!"

During his time with Margate – from the 1961/62 season to the 1964/5 season – Mr Blackburn scored 121 goals in 211 appearances making him Gate's second highest post-war scorer. The Margate FC history website says of Mr Blackburn: "Alan was a Barnardo's boy who started his career at West Ham, having been spotted playing in Hertfordshire junior football. He signed professional forms for the Hammers aged 17. Mr Blackburn, who had his own window-cleaning business, left Margate at the end of the 1964/65 for family reasons. He died in January 2014 at the age of 78.

Police issue bogus caller warning in south-west Fife: Police in South West Fife are urging householders to be on their guard when dealing with people knocking on their door and claiming to be collecting money.  “I would also like to take the chance to remind all householders that when people come to the door collecting milk money, window cleaning money or where they claim to be collecting on behalf of charity, that they make sure they are paying the right person. “We have seen a couple of instances recently where householders have parted with money, only to receive a call from the genuine collector and the initial caller was bogus. Again, it is the elderly and vulnerable who are favoured by these unscrupulous individuals and my best advice would be to ask any collector for ID or some other form of proof, such as a business card, to prove that the caller is genuine.”

Bogus window cleaner stole cash from Flackwell Heath pensioner: A bogus window cleaner stole 'a considerable amount' of cash from a Flackwell Heath pensioner. A white male with short brown hair visited the property in St Hildas Way on Thursday, January 23 and asked for money for a cleaning job he had not carried out. The occupant, a man in his 80s, gave him the money despite never having requested the service. Between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on Saturday, January 25 the 'window cleaner' returned to the house and requested change. Whilst the victim was looking for change, the man entered the living room and took a cash box containing money. The burglar was wearing a black raincoat down to his knees and a light coloured jacket underneath. A 36-year-old man from Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and bailed until March 5.

Prisoner caught with drugs in buttocks: A driver who caused the death of a 12-year-old boy has been jailed for three months after prison officers found cannabis in his cell. Lisburn Magistrates' Court heard on Monday how prison officers searched 35-year-old Andrew Paul Morrow's cell when they smelled cannabis smoke coming from it on 16 October last year. A prosecution lawyer described how officers conducted a "full body search" and uncovered the small amount of cannabis hidden between the cheeks of his bottom. Appearing in court via videolink from Maghaberry Prison, Morrow, originally from Vara Drive in north Belfast, pleaded guilty to possessing class B cannabis. Window cleaner Morrow is currently serving eight years behind bars after he admitted causing the death of 12-year-old Daniel Mooney by dangerous driving.

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.

Tragedy Of Wakefield Window Cleaner Who Plunged Off Faulty Ladder

Tragedy of Wakefield window cleaner who plunged off faulty ladder: A safety conscious window cleaner suffered fatal head injuries after falling from his ladder, an inquest heard. Roland Jungbauer, 43, was a former scaffolder turned self-employed window cleaner with a conscientious attitude to safety at work, Wakefield Coroner's Court was told.

There were no witnesses to the fall, which happened as Mr Jungbauer, of Ossett, was working at a house in Grey Court at Outwood, Wakefield, last March 9. Householder Katie Mellor was out when Mr Jungbauer was cleaning her first floor windows. Coroner's officer Colin Mantell said when she returned home, just before 3pm, Mr Jungbauer told her: "Let me in I'm freezing." Mr Mantell added: "She opened the door and he collapsed in the doorway."

Mr Jungbauer was taken to Pinderfields Hospital at Wakefield and later transferred to the intensive care unit at Leeds General Infirmary. He did not regain consciousness and died from a severe, traumatic brain injury at LGI seven days later. In a statement read to the court, Mr Jungbauer's sister Sally said her brother was a "conscientious worker - always aware of his own safety." She added: "He used to be a scaffolder and was used to working at heights. He did not take risks and to the best of my knowledge he had never fallen from his ladder before."

Miss Jungbauer's life-long friend and fellow window cleaner Paul Wilkes said in a statement how he noticed after the accident that Mr  Jungbauer's ladders were broken on the third rung up, adding: "I know he only bought the ladders last year. He always kept his equipment in good working order." Recording a verdict of accidental death, deputy coroner Melanie Wiliamson, said: "Tragically, for some reason Mr Jungbauer did fall from his ladders. We do know the third rung up was broken, how that happened we do not know."

Original blog here.

Man falls through window at Regina's Central Library: A man fell through a full length glass window inside the Central Library in Regina on Wednesday. It's unclear exactly how it happened, but people around the library were shocked. Darryl Lachance walked into the library just as the man fell through the window. He said it was worrisome. "That's scary when you come downtown and see something like that especially at the public library," he said.

The fire department said the man was distraught and had to be restrained. He also had multiple cuts on his body. Julie McKenna, the deputy library director at the Regina Public Library noted staff worked fast to help the man. "The staff reacted quickly. They called 911," said McKenna. "We are in the process of boarding it up right now cleaning up the area. Of course there is some blood in the area, so that has been safely cleaned up." She said the Central Library is still open and they will have permanent glass put back in as soon as possible.