Tag Archives: broadcast engineer

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Would You, Could You Rescue Your Fellow Climber?

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Hey, this week I want to discuss something that has been on the minds of so many tower workers out there. Would you rescue a fellow climber in trouble? In recent news there have been several stories that someone was left hanging until the fire department arrived to perform the rescue. The good news is that they all are alive today, so all’s well that ends well. Getting home alive really matters when things go wrong. You may forget what matters until you are confronted with a terrible situation.

So back to the point, would you rescue a coworker? Could you rescue a coworker in trouble? I reached out to several groups, and everyone I with thinks that this should be the policy. I have to tell you, everyone I heard from, and talked too said yes. Not one person said they would wait for the rescue team unless absolutely necessary. However, the one comment I got on my blog when the guy was hanging over the edge of the platform on the monopole was that the guy went home alive and he felt the crew did the right thing. I didn’t forget that and that is why I said something in the beginning, they are all alive. That is so important so I am so happy the fire departments have high rescue, really, I thank GOD for that. They are alive. I don’t know why the coworkers didn’t make an attempt but they seemed to do the right thing. Their coworkers are alive.

I need to know, is there a policy out there that would have people not make the attempt? Most of the older tower climbers are well versed in rescue. Did that change? I even heard from a few people with the carriers, (who were not happy that I brought up the whole “carriers devalue climbing” issue) said that everyone on site should be able to do rescue.

I was on a forum of guys that do high tower work and all of them said overwhelmingly that they would attempt the rescue if they felt it was safe. Remember that you need to be prepared. Prepared? What does that mean? I will tell you, prepared in training, rope, safety, gear, and control. Control of your emotions and actions.

I have to tell you I was trained by Winton Wilcox of the old ComTrain. Regardless of what you think of ComTrain, Winton’s training and advice was invaluable to me. He went through so many scenarios of what could happen, especially if someone was irrational or not willing to let you help them. Remember that they could panic like someone drowning. I don’t know if any of you know much about being a lifeguard, but I took all of that training when I was you and they went through the same actions because people panic. People panic, people become irrational in terrible situations, people go crazy. No joke, not good, people panic. Are you prepared to deal with that? I was because Winton went through that as one of the scenarios.

Would you save someone who would rather fight you than help you rescue them? Could you be kind enough to give them a right hook to calm them down? Could you do it? Could you take the time to rig the tower with a rope for descent and a rope for safety before helping the person? Could you be the rational person on site? I know you say yes now, but if you listened to the Trauma podcast with Lane Falkner then you know it’s not so easy. Could you work on someone’s injury much less pull them from a tower? I would imagine most of you would think a lifeguard has it easy, but when you see them pull someone from the water and save someone, then what do you think? To pull someone from a tower is real work and you have to be very confident to do it. It takes practice and confidence. Practice? That is where the training comes in, practice. Pay attention! If you practice you would be more ready because then you are prepared. If you are prepared then you can adapt to the situation. If you can improvise then you can adapt to the situation. Once you know how to adapt then you can overcome the obstacles and issues and fear. Improvise, adapt and overcome is said by the marines because if you are prepared you can do it. The marines don’t say it for nothing, they say it because it becomes a way to survive and help your partner survive.

With all of that said, if you can’t do the rescue, call for help! If your company has a no rescue policy, then maybe you should wonder why you work for them.

So would you? I don’t think that is the right question! I think the right question is could you? What is the situation? What is your capability? What equipment and ropes do you have? What help do you have? Did you already call for help? You should always call for help right away! Just do it! Does anyone on the crew have enough experience to help a coworker out. Experience, now there’s something that we should think about. Many of you that read this have experience with climbing, but do you have enough experience in rescue? When is the last time you took a rescue class? When is the last time you practiced rescue? When is the last time you pulled someone off the tower? Do you think that rescue practice is a waste of time? Then get another job!

Climbing should be for people who care and have a passion for the job. If you’re in it just to kill time then maybe you should think twice about your future. There is no shame in finding something you enjoy. Unfortunately most of these young men that are in accidents seem to really like the job, which makes writing this so hard. Many of them dies doing something they love. It’s too late for them but if you happen to go to a tower where seasoned veterans are working then make a point to learn from them.

Climbing and tower work isn’t for everyone. Rescue isn’t for everyone. Thank GOD for the Fire Departments learning high rescue and rope rescue, I have some links below.

Show me you care, Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment.

Don’t forget to take the poll for jobs!

Remember that the Hubble Foundation needs your support. Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang!

www.HubbleFoundation.org

 

OSHA Issues citations to company telling workers to free climb:

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=26346

Old news of workers who waited for Fire department to be rescued:

http://www.ngwinnett.com/news/gwinnett-firefighters-rescue-man-injured-while-working-on-cell-tower-1461046

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/gwinnett-co-worker-injured-partial-fall-cell-tower/ngHyz/

Fire departments being trained for rope rescue:

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/06/firemen_receive_tower_rescue_t.html

http://www.clarkstonnews.com/Articles-News-i-2014-07-16-255536.113121-sub-Firefighter-pulls-heavy-duty.html

http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Firefighters-Build-Trust-with-Rope-and-Tower-Training-266941891.html

Something to think about courtesy of OSHA;

OSHA deaths Tower-chart1

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Interview, Part 1, with Dr Bridgette “Gette” Hester, founder of the Hubble Foundation

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Hello all,

OK, listen to the podcast because Gette covers so much in this time. I had to break it into 2 podcasts. Just listen to both to hear Gette give her view of the industry and her passion. If you have ever been on a tower forum or on Facebook’s tower groups then you know Gette, she is taking care of the climbers the best way she knows how.

Remember to subscribe!

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Gette talks about her mission in life, the Hubble Foundation, which is there to support tower climbers that need help. Not only the fallen climber’s families, but the climbers that may need help to see their families or maybe the families need someone to talk to or maybe the children of the fallen need scholarship money. Gette is doing all of this with the help of her husband. Thank GOD we have people like this that are driven to help beyond what any normal person would or could do. Gette has a book that explains why that passion burns so deep in her. You see, she lost her husband to a horrific tower collapse years ago. This was something that changed her life in so many ways. I won’t get into it but if you want to know exactly what happen then get her book, Godwink: On the Wings of Butterflies for an explicit description. It’s too painful to talk about here.

We also discuss the training that is offered today and how the industry has boomed. This is good for work but the carriers going out to the lowest bidder and the explosion of work has led to many fatalities due to companies taking shortcuts and inexperienced people trying to do the work. OSHA just doesn’t have the manpower to support this effort because they generally look at the tower climbing industry as a small industry.

Something that I bring up is how little the carriers have given to this cause. I think that Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile could spare a few dollars to support the families who lost a someone to a horrific accident while building their systems out. Maybe building one of the new LTE systems, the 3G systems, or even the backhaul. Recently a young man was lost working for a carrier. While they were very helpful at the time, what about the devastation that is left behind when a wage earner in a family is suddenly gone? You have an emotional loss and a financial loss at the same time. A lost love is something that will not be replaced and can destroy families instantly. Thank GOD for Gette who works so hard to reach out to these families to comfort them and pull them back together. I just think the carriers could help the Hubble Foundation by giving a few dollars to this tax-deductible charity that cares to deeply for the people who build the wireless systems.

 

Hubble Foundation http://www.hubblefoundation.org/ and go to the donate section where you can donate a tax-deductible donation or buy something from the store. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HubbleFoundation for more support. They have tickets left for the car giveaway that you need to get in on, so go to the Hubble Foundation website and get some tickets to win a Mustang!

Godwink: On the Wings of Butterflies

The cover has Mike V’s hand on it with a butterfly. Pretty cool photo.

NATE – http://natehome.com/

 PA Wireless Association, http://www.pa-wireless.org/ is a group that really helped Gette out with the fundraising aspect. Then the following groups pitched in;

http://www.gawireless.org/

https://txwa.org/

http://www.vawireless.org/

http://calwa.org/

Here is the lowest bidder clip,

 From the Hubble Foundation’s Inspiration page;

The Climber’s Protection Prayer
While Psalm 91 applies to all of us, I believe that this Psalm is especially poignant for climbers and their families. Often times, the families feel like they have no control over their loved ones in the industry.
This is simply not true. Your greatest defense and protection of your loved one is through Prayer!

My Refuge and My Fortress
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his opinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place
the Most High, who is my refuge
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.

My Books;

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Interview with Author Vicky Kaseorg who wrote “The Tower Builder” Part 2

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Hello all,

This is part 2! All the same information is below from Part 1 just the podcast is different. I want to make sure you can find part 1 so go here to listen!

Alright, I had so many technical issues and the interview went so long I had to break it into 2 podcasts!

However, Vicky was a trooper and although it comes out a bit choppy and my audio isn’t the best I did get the interview and Vicky is just full of information about the towers and the climbers in her book. She talks about Tony the Tower Builder and she also mentions some interviews with some other climbers that are crazy. It’s good to hear about how these guys have lived and worked as well as how someone like Tony, a good guy, could persevere throughout all of the hardships of the job and his life to come out with such a good attitude.

Vicky talked to so many people in researching this book. Her faith in GOD really shows in this interview and in the book because things just seemed to work out in here favor and she researched this story. She learned so much about WW2 history as well as towers as well as tower climbers. I really enjoyed the book. It was a 3 year venture that Vicky worked relentlessly to solve the mysteries of the tower and the beacon. Along the way she learned so much about American history. The Blaw-Knox towers and the WBT-AM radio station are very interesting.

Vicky originally became interested in the towers because her brother is a HAM radio operator. I call them HAMsters. I have so many friends that are HAMsters and you will see on their emails they always have their call signs below their names. They spend so much time getting on their radios and they play the game of trying to reach the most people the farthest away. Not only that but it was the original social network, the way I see it. They would talk to each other at set times to discuss radios and other interests. It is like the BBS services back when dial-up was common because digital text only bulletin boards were quite common for technical people. HAM radios were around before that, since the 50s really, and it was a way to keep in touch. Well, that will be another blog is anyone is interested in having me research that then let me know.

Vicky is such a nice and interesting person as well as a well-rounded author. I really enjoyed talking to her. She was so patient through all of my technical difficulties and I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart. She has a blog at http://vickykaseorg.blogspot.com/ and http://vickykaseorg.weebly.com/ if you would like to follow her there and her book “The Tower Climber” is on Amazon. Her author’s page is http://www.amazon.com/Vicky-Kaseorg/e/B006XJ2DWU on Amazon. Barnes & Noble page is at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/vicky-kaseorg if that’s more you’re style.

If you want to see more on WBT-AM look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBT_%28radio_station%29 and http://radioheaven.homestead.com/wbtcollection.html to learn more.

More on Blaw-Knox towers can be found at http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio, http://hawkins.pair.com/blaw-knox.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaw-Knox_tower to see more.

So you think HAM Radio is neat, go to http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-licenses and learn the right way and then look at radios, http://www.hamradio.com/.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Interview with Author Vicky Kaseorg who wrote “The Tower Builder” Part 1

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Hello all,

This is part 1!

Part 2 is here!

Alright, I had so many technical issues and the interview went so long I had to break it into 2 podcasts!

However, Vicky was a trooper and although it comes out a bit choppy and my audio isn’t the best I did get the interview and Vicky is just full of information about the towers and the climbers in her book. She talks about Tony the Tower Builder and she also mentions some interviews with some other climbers that are crazy. It’s good to hear about how these guys have lived and worked as well as how someone like Tony, a good guy, could persevere throughout all of the hardships of the job and his life to come out with such a good attitude.

Vicky talked to so many people in researching this book. Her faith in GOD really shows in this interview and in the book because things just seemed to work out in here favor and she researched this story. She learned so much about WW2 history as well as towers as well as tower climbers. I really enjoyed the book. It was a 3 year venture that Vicky worked relentlessly to solve the mysteries of the tower and the beacon. Along the way she learned so much about American history. The Blaw-Knox towers and the WBT-AM radio station are very interesting.

Vicky originally became interested in the towers because her brother is a HAM radio operator. I call them HAMsters. I have so many friends that are HAMsters and you will see on their emails they always have their call signs below their names. They spend so much time getting on their radios and they play the game of trying to reach the most people the farthest away. Not only that but it was the original social network, the way I see it. They would talk to each other at set times to discuss radios and other interests. It is like the BBS services back when dial-up was common because digital text only bulletin boards were quite common for technical people. HAM radios were around before that, since the 50s really, and it was a way to keep in touch. Well, that will be another blog is anyone is interested in having me research that then let me know.

Vicky is such a nice and interesting person as well as a well-rounded author. I really enjoyed talking to her. She was so patient through all of my technical difficulties and I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart. She has a blog at http://vickykaseorg.blogspot.com/ and http://vickykaseorg.weebly.com/ if you would like to follow her there and her book “The Tower Climber” is on Amazon. Her author’s page is http://www.amazon.com/Vicky-Kaseorg/e/B006XJ2DWU on Amazon. Barnes & Noble page is at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/vicky-kaseorg if that’s more you’re style.

If you want to see more on WBT-AM look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBT_%28radio_station%29 and http://radioheaven.homestead.com/wbtcollection.html to learn more.

More on Blaw-Knox towers can be found at http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio, http://hawkins.pair.com/blaw-knox.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaw-Knox_tower to see more.

So you think HAM Radio is neat, go to http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-licenses and learn the right way and then look at radios, http://www.hamradio.com/.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Beware! The Tick Attacks! Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Interview with Kevin Kidd.

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Beware the killer ticks, well, at least they can make you sick. Those silent hazards are out there wireless workers! So that little tick can cause huge problems! How about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever to start. I did a story about Bruce Holsted that explained how RMSF almost ruined his life. Now I have another person, Kevin Kidd also went through a similar ordeal. He too is in the tower industry. Listen to his story on my podcast!

Kevin is a broadcast engineer that works at tower sites for a living. He suffered Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and I asked that he share his experience so you know what to look for and recognize the symptoms in case you get it. Ticks are more common than you think so here is a good podcast to explain what happened to Kevin and how he found out he had this disease. Sorry about the audio but it was on his cell. Kevin is very busy and I am so grateful he took the time to talk to me

If you go to this site http://www.medicinenet.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever_pictures_slideshow/article.htm you will see a good explanation of the ticks and the disease. They also give hints on how to remove the tick safely and disinfect your wound after the tick is removed. Then save it in case you get sick. Put it in a zip lock bag or pill bottle and freeze it. This will give you something to take to the doctor and explain that you have a tick bite. That may help them diagnose the problem.

Kevin’s information is;

Kevin C. Kidd, CSRE/AMD
WD4RAT
mailto:kkidd@kkbc.com
KK BROADCAST ENGINEERING
http://www.kkbc.com
AM GROUND SYSTEMS CO.
http://www.amgroundsystems.com

Some links that may help explain this tick bite disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_spotted_fever

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/basics/definition/con-20032780

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/rocky.html

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever

http://www.wbiw.com/local/archive/2014/06/officials-warning-about-ticks.php

On this one you need to scroll down to the article. http://www.onhealth.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/article.htm#rocky_mountain_spotted_fever_rmsf_facts

NATE has a Planning Advisory Notice (PAN) for safety, http://natehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PAN-NOV-DEC-2013.pdf and the main page for all NATE PANs is here, http://natehome.com/safety-education/planning-advisory-notice-pan/ if you’re interested. They have PANs for ANSI/TIA 1019-!-2012, Antenna Installations, Mounts and Inspections, FAA Aviation Obstruction Lighting, and Anchor Bolts.