Close calls

[arbormaster]

can i ask does anyone use radios to comunicate between ground and climber

there are plenty of low cost radios that with addition of a throat mic/ear piece would work over the noise from saws etc

 

i use these http://www.peltor.com/peltor.com/comm_main.cfm?platform=2%2DWay%20Radio%20Headsets

 

pretty good but only on big trees where its noisy or with traffic otherwise i shout down before every cut if i cant see the groundie, if i can see him and its to noisey to talk i would make eye contact and point at or tap the section thats comming down so he can see how far away he needs to be

[Drella]

Here's another;

 

Eye injuries are something I wouldn't wish on anyone. I've had many lens scratches that would smart for two days or more.

 

One nasty branch found it's way into my eye one fateful day. I was pruning a Bradford Pear from the ground and not wearing any protection.

 

As I was picking up the brush off the ground, I stood, then turned toward the chipper and started to walk the load to the pile. Just as I took my first step, a long slender branch, the diameter of a pencil, found it's way into the socket of my eye.

 

It went completly into my eye, right in the corner next to the nose. The branch pushed my eye to the side as it went into the socket. It drove itself close to an inch inside.

 

I jerked back just as fast as I walked into it. Luckily no damage was done to the eye, not even a scratch. Though the socket hurt like all hell for a few days afterward...

 

From then on, I made damn sure that I wore my saftey glasses! For at least 10 minutes a day...

[Drella]

I was doing a Blue Spruce removal and had two groundmen pulling the brush as I would cut, then advance a few steps, cut, advance, cut....

 

As my feet were approx' 12 foot or so from the ground, I had just hung my saw and was ready to go higher. As I looked down before I made more cuts, one of the groundsmen reached for a limb,, then immediately dropped the branch and jerked his arm back behind himself.

 

What had happened is there was a hornet nest built throughout three or so limbs and when I cut one, it ripped the nest open.

 

Before I knew what happened to Ronnie, the whole area was engulfed in a cloud of pissed off bees! They were swarming around in circles trying to find who to kill!

 

Just then, I decided to pull my saftey off and jump from the tree! As I unhooked the snap, I just pulled my spurs and "tried" to fall.

 

My safety was an old-school prusik type that was looped on one end where you could adjust it. The loop had snagged on a stub I left and it swung me upside down quicker than anything! Now I'm hung up with the right side of my safety and I'm trying to sink a spur in the tree with my left leg- to get upright again so I can resume jumping. "This all took place within the blink of an eye-- I move pretty fast when I'm about to get stung half a million times!"

 

I finally got a foot hold, flipped the safety off the stub and dropped straight down. I had landed on my feet, then did a backwards -tuck and roll type manuevour then back to my feet and I ran like hell.

 

All this without landing on my chainsaw or getting one sting! The acrobatic move was all by chance, I'm not nearly that nimble.......

[MasterBlaster]

Crikey!

[Drella]

Doing a larger Pin Oak pruning with some tri-plex house drops along the back of the tree and the other, straight through but closer to the tips of the lowest branches, well away from the drop zone.

 

Everything went as planned. Nothing too large hitting either line and my climbing line was plenty clear the whole time spent pruning.

 

Just as I've finished up, I stopped at the lowest branch, saftied in and pulled out my tie in, so I could re-tie as to have enough line to make it the rest of the way down.

 

I had my pole saw hanging above me on a branch while I finished off making the final tie in. As I was just about ready to come down, I grabbed my polesaw, put the butt-end through my lanyard- "so I wouldn't have to hold it on the 60' descent."

 

I slid the poll, down through the lanyard's loop and it was about mid way down when the blade nicked the 220 line. There was a giant "BOOM!" and a flash of blue and white. It nearly scared the crap out of me cause it happened just behind my head by about 4'...

 

After I yelled out a few four and five letter words, I composed myself and continued down. When I landed, I checked out the damage on the blade. About 5 teeth were completely blown off or melted.

 

Yet another one of my close-calls.

 

 

BTW: Though it seems like a lot of near misses, remember I've climbed well over 1,000 trees a year, for over 10 years. Not a bad track record afterall.....