The fire department reached the scene in just four and a half minutes to rescue the window washers stranded at 200ft.
We can assume that window washing is one of the riskiest jobs in the world. Why riskiest? Well, the people in this profession clearly put their lives at stake every time they dangle from several feet above the ground cleaning the windows, putting all their belief on a scaffolding. It's another thing that the professionals make the job look really easy.
Recently two window washers had the most frightening experience of their lives when they were left hanging 200 feet above the ground from a New York City skyscraper. According to People, on October 5, 2020, the men got stuck on a hanging scaffolding after the platform dislodged itself midair.
Fortunately, they were rescued, by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). The department received a call about the two men who were hanging on a hanging scaffolding at 250 Vesey Street, a 34-storied building in Lower Manhattan at around 9:10 am local time.
Just four and a half minutes after the call, FDNY Engine 10 and Ladder 10 arrived at the scene to rescue the men, according to the department's Facebook page. After the firefighters assessed the situation, they decided to secure the two window washers with a rope.
About 40 minutes after the operation began, the window washers were rescued. The fire department's post stated, "We operated for approximately 40 minutes. We secured the workers, provided a communication link to them, and then we cut the windows to remove them into the building."
Appreciating the valiant rescue efforts, Lieutenant John Tobin of Rescue said, "The first two companies did a phenomenal job getting rope on them to secure them." He continued, "We checked the scaffold to make sure that it wouldn’t move any further, and then Rescue 1 proceeded to secure the windows by taping them."
"We have glass-cutting equipment where we can remove the panels of glass, and we were able to pull those two scaffold workers in right where they were," he added.
Acknowledging everyone who was part of the rescue mission, Tobin said, "This was a pretty straightforward operation. "All the companies worked excellent together, this was a coordinated effort. This is something we train for all the time," reported The Daily Mail.
Through the information received by the department's post, it was made clear that the two men were alright after they were examined by EMS personnel and refused further medical attention.
The department also posted the pictures of the equipment: the alpha wet saw and angle grinder, which helped them to "efficiently cut the glass and remove the workers to safety."
The heroic work of the fire department was applauded by many as they commented on the post and shared it as well. One of them said, "God Bless you all and the work you do." While another wrote, "Well, that was a mission that you again worked off heroically. New York can really be proud of you. Stay healthy!"
References:
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/fdny/index.page
