Self Rescue

[D Mc]

I can certainly see both sides of this discussion. Having been an employee, a company owner of a large crew, and back to self-employed doing all the work with my wife, I feel I have a broad-based understanding from all sides.

 

The safety procedures and standards we take for granted now just haven't been in existance for that long. Many certs and requirements are pushed by insurance companies that are covering their backsides because of claims made against them by us. If you are resentful of these requirements, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.

 

All that stuff aside, climbing with a qualified rescue climber makes sense. If for whatever reason this can't be achieved, you should give some serious consideration to some of the many different types of ground-based rescue systems that can be implemented. These have their draw backs but at least it opens the possibility of a ground-based rescue in a position when none other would be possible.

 

Dave

[sean]

We have a rescue climber going out with each of our 5, 6 or 7 crews everyday. Fantastic. But invariably the rope and harness is packed away in the kit bags.....probably at the other end of the work site!

[gibbon]

Some very big words there Gibbon, I hope you are whiter than white mate, because my guess is you are not.

 

I am my own boss, just me and my groundy and my groundy doesn't climb.

 

Being called tight and ignorant and not a true professional is not something I take lightly.

 

Read up on some facts before posting dribble

 

I don't want this to become personal, but what excatly did I post that was dribble? I do not profess to be whiter than white, but what I do try to do is operate to a high standard. The most important thing for me when it comes to our day to day operations is the safety of our work force. Just because we plan and train for emergencies doesn't mean that we are crap tree surgeons and are more likley to have and accident.

 

Industry best practice clearly states what rescue provisions are required and I am staggered that people are prepared to work without it. Cost is not an issue. Every time I loose a job to a firm operating to a lower safety standard to keep cost down this directly effects me and my family. I believe that firms who do opperate like this do an injustice to our industry.

 

 

If you choose to work like this thats your choice but its a lame excuse to say that you do it to stay competative, plenty of other people operated with rescuers on site and still make a decent living. Accidents can and do happen to the most skilled of guys. I know a couple of guys who have had to preform rescues and saved the lives of their mates by doing it.

[Dean Lofthouse]

No, you managed to prove why it is not safe.

 

Cutting and holding IS safe..

 

What i did was not.. I held overhand and cut

 

Please don't tell me you have never cut and held, because A: I won't believe you and B: You will be the only one on this forum that never has..

[skyhuck]

Does any one have any info on successfully rescue???????????

 

As I have already said, I would do this job if I thought I would need to be rescued.

[gibbon]

Does any one have any info on successfully rescue???????????

 

As I have already said, I would do this job if I thought I would need to be rescued.

 

I bet most people who have had accidents thought that it wouldn't happen to the either. We work with trees and they can be unpredictable

[skyhuck]

We work with trees and they can be unpredictable

 

Really???????

 

Is like the motorist who told his insurance Co that the tree jumped out in front of his car? LOL!!!!!!!

[Dean Lofthouse]

If you choose to work like this thats your choice but its a lame excuse to say that you do it to stay competative, plenty of other people operated with rescuers on site and still make a decent living. Accidents can and do happen to the most skilled of guys. I know a couple of guys who have had to preform rescues and saved the lives of their mates by doing it.

 

If I had a couple of teams on the go things would be different, I am then legally bound.

 

However, I dont, I'm the climber, I'm the owner etc etc so I am legally not bound and that, in your words doesn't make me any less professional than you.

 

I do 95% domestic work and to remain competitive you cannot add a rescue climber at £140 - £180 ontop of every domestic job, to suggest you can and still remain competitive is simply ludicrous, but it is certainly not "ignorant" nor a "lame" excuse, it's fact mate.

 

Any commercail work is priced with a rescue climber because commercail clients understand the HSE rules and regs and the need to implement them and we are all playing on a level playing field.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Does any one have any info on successfully rescue???????????

 

As I have already said, I would do this job if I thought I would need to be rescued.

 

 

Or put another way who's carried out a life dependant rescue.

 

Have a poll

[Mesterh]

I bet most people who have had accidents thought that it wouldn't happen to the either.

 

You do have a point with that I dont think any of us 'knew' we were going to have an accident just before we did or thought "Yep I can see a hospital visit coming up today". Well I never did!