Aug 01, 2024

Firefighters rescue stranded utility worker trapped on water tower

Posted Aug 01, 2024 10:30 AM
Photo Warrensburg Fire Dept.
Photo Warrensburg Fire Dept.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo. —Fire crews 60 miles southeast of Kansas City made a daring rescue this week.

On Tuesday afternoon,  the Warrensburg Fire Department responded to a mutual aid request from the Higginsville Fire Protection District to rescue of a worker that was stuck on the side of a water tower due to a safety equipment malfunction, according to a media release.

The worker was in a safety harness with fall protection devices. One of the devices locked or seized up. The worker was stranded approximately 100 feet off the ground.

Crews responded in a tower ladder truck with technical rescue equipment and were able to quickly remove him from the side of the water tower.

From arrival on scene to the patient being transferred to EMS care was 18 minutes.

The Warrensburg Fire Department wrote, "We are glad we could assist our neighboring department and bring the situation to a positive outcome. "