Working at height is inherently unforgiving, and anyone who spends time on steel knows that safety is not a formality. It is the system that keeps you alive. Whether you are performing routine PMs, handling a full carrier install, or troubleshooting on a live site, your ability to respond to an emergency depends entirely on what you bring with you and how well you’ve prepared. Rescue equipment, rescue training, and a site specific rescue plan are not paperwork items. They are operational requirements.
Inspecting Rescue Equipment: Your First Line of Protection
Every climb begins with a systematic inspection of all rescue gear. This means more than a quick glance. Webbing should be checked for abrasion, fading, stitching separation, and heat glazing. Ropes need a full hand check for soft spots, stiffness, sheath slippage, or chemical damage. Carabiners, pulleys, ascenders, and descenders must be free of hairline cracks, sharp edges, or gate malfunction. Mechanical devices should cycle smoothly under load. Anchors and connection hardware must meet the required load ratings for the site.
Rescue kits should be complete, labeled, sealed, and within service life. Anything even slightly questionable comes out of rotation immediately. When you climb with gear you trust, you eliminate one of the biggest failure points before the job even begins.
Preparing and Using Rescue Equipment: Practice Is Non Negotiable
Inspection alone isn’t enough. Every climber must be fully fluent with the rescue systems they carry. That means hands on practice with lowers, raises, pick offs, haul systems, and self rescue methods. Pre rigging equipment when appropriate saves crucial time. Rescue bags should be staged where both the up tower and ground teams can access them fast.
Climbers should know how their devices behave under wet conditions, in cold temps, with gloves, and when working around obstructions. Muscle memory matters because real emergencies rarely look neat. When something goes wrong, the ability to deploy cleanly and decisively is what changes the outcome.
Pre Approved Rescue Plans: The Blueprint That Saves Lives
A rescue plan is a live operational document that defines exactly how your team will respond if a climber becomes incapacitated. It identifies hazards, anchor points, access routes, and equipment requirements. It assigns roles so there is zero confusion during an incident. It outlines the rescue method suited for the specific tower structure whether monopole, lattice, self support, or rooftop.
A solid rescue plan also accounts for weather, site elevation, RF exposure zones, and the location of the nearest advanced medical facility. When everyone on site knows the plan before the first foot leaves the ground, the team moves with clarity instead of panic. That is what shortens response time and keeps a bad situation from becoming catastrophic.
Working on towers will always involve risk, but it should never involve guessing. Inspect your rescue gear with discipline. Train until your rescue procedures are instinctive. Make sure every climb starts with a clear, reviewed rescue roadmap.
To learn more, visit towerclimber.com and get plugged into the training, gear, and knowledge that keeps climbers safe.