two workers must face their worst fears when a scaffold collapses outside an apartment building in yonkers, new york. a news helicopter captures the dramatic scene as the men dangle in the cold winter temperatures. yonkers fire chief john flynn and firefighter mike juro assess the dire situation. one guy is actually hanging on the scaffolding, standing on top of it. and the second victim is below him, beneath the scaffolding, probably another ten feet or so. we didn t know the extent of their injuries at that point. so the plan was made to have some of our members proceed to the floor nearby where they were hanging from the scaffolding to remove windows to establish communication with them, to assess their condition. the two men indicate they aren t hurt and their safety harnesses keep them from
a panic state. i think one of the reasons was that his harness was right around his legs where it should have been, but his whole weight was suspended by that harness, which was starting to cut off the blood flow. gero approaches the lower victim and secures him to the rope lines. with the main line attachment, what i did, is i attached the end knot to myself and attached him to the accessory cord. his weight is not really on me. it s just on my system. in this situation, if something failed, i would have been fine and he would have been fine. gero safely brings the first man to the ground. typically another firefighter would rescue the second victim, but the late afternoon dusk is turning to night, and chief flynn decides gero s experience outweighs other considerations. when mike went down the first time, it was just getting dark, and he had a really good look at the entanglement problems that
it definitely would have been a fatal fall. march 4th, 2011. two workers must face their worst fears when a scaffold collapses outside an apartment building in yonkers, new york. a news helicopter captures the dramatic scene as the men dangle in the cold winter temperatures. yonkers fire chief john flynn and firefighter mike juro assess the dire situation. one guy is actually hanging on the scaffolding, standing on top of it. and the second victim is below him, beneath the scaffolding, probably another ten feet or so. we didn t know the extent of their injuries at that point. so the plan was made to have some of our members proceed to the floor nearby where they were hanging from the scaffolding to remove windows to establish communication with them, to assess their condition. the two men indicate they aren t hurt and their safety
turning to night, and chief flynn decides gero s experience outweighs other considerations. when mike went down the first time, it was just getting dark, and he had a really good look at the entanglement problems that were there with the collapsed scaffolding and the ropes that had the workers entangled, so after consulting with mike when he reached the ground we determined it really would be ideal for him to go a second time. flood lights illuminate the building as gero once again repels down the side. the rescue goes off without a hitch. and both workers are taken to the hospital for observation. they were a little hyperthermic and had soreness, medically they were released from the harness and they were fine. an investigation later determines the scaffolding collapsed due to a failure in the breaking system. mandatory safety lines helped save the two workers from a 130-foot fall and there s no question the skill and steady nerves of mike gero ensured this accident didn t bec
fatal fall. march 4th, 2011. two workers must face their worst fears when a scaffold collapses outside an apartment building in yonkers, new york. a news helicopter captures the dramatic scene as the men dangle in the cold winter temperatures. yonkers fire chief john flynn and firefighter mike juro assess the dire situation. one guy is actually hanging on the scaffolding, standing on top of it. and the second victim is below him, beneath the scaffolding, probably another ten feet or so. we didn t know the extent of their injuries at that point. so the plan was made to have some of our members proceed to the floor nearby where they were hanging from the scaffolding to remove windows to establish communication with them, to assess their condition. the two men indicate they aren t hurt and their safety harnesses keep them from plummeting to the ground.