http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/tower-climbers-face-danger-keep-cell-phones-connected-television-stations-broadcasting-and-radio-sta_33798.mp3
The tallest tower that Brian Thomas has ever climbed is a 1850 foot high TV tower in Redfield, Arkansas. That’s taller than the Empire State Building, and taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago. Sounds impressive, right? Thomas is very low-key about what it’s like to climb that high.
“It’s no different than being 20 feet off the ground. You know you’re up high, but the structural integrity of the tower is designed to withstand everything. My body weight on that tower has no bearing on it at all. I’m like an ant climbing a tree.”
“What kind of training did you have to be able to do this comfortably?”
“I had to go through tower safety and fall protection classes. Most of it was on-the-job training. When I first started, I had a skilled tower climber train me.”
Besides good training, tower climbers rely on a safety belt that’s designed specifically for this kind of job. Though, as Brian Thomas showed me, it’s much more than “just a belt.” It looks like a harness with three hooks—two of them are on the sides. They’re called lanyards or positioners, and then there’s the one large central hook known as the “central primary.”
“These here are the lanyards. This is a right lanyard and this is a left lanyard. So when you’re climbing up, you hook on above you, as far as you can reach. You climb up to the point where it hits you in the waist. You stop. Hook the other lanyard above you. Then you take the other lanyard off. So that way, you’re always 100% hooked up. So, if you were to slip, you’re still protected.”
Learning how to use this safety equipment is a huge part of the training process. Brian Thomas recalls learning from his trainer how tower climbers position themselves on the structure and the importance of being aware of the surroundings, especially missing bolts. A missing bolt becomes a big problem if a climber places one of the positioning hooks that holds the climber to the tower on a part of the structure that is not capable of bearing the weight.
“Some towers are bolted together where the braces are. Over time, the wind may cause a bolt to fall out. But when you hook one positioner off and go to take the other one off, you want to make sure everything’s in place. Just because that positioner is in place doesn’t mean you’re safe. Something may be missing.”
Another important safety measure is ensuring that you never get too exhausted during a climb.
“You don’t ever want to over exhaust yourself. Depending on your endurance, stamina and strength, some guys can climb up to 60 to 70 feet at a time. Then, they’ll stop and rest for a minute or two, then continue on.”
Rest is important because when tower climbers reach their destination, there’s typically more work to do.
“We may be installing an antenna for a customer. We may changing out coaxes. Sometimes we climb up just to change light bulbs.”
Before he climbs, Brian Thomas prays and thinks about all the safety procedures that will prevent him from falling. He says when he first started, he did get nervous.
“I used to when I first started this. When I first hired in as a tower rigger, I wasn’t sure if it was the job for me, I didn’t know if I was afraid of heights. I had never done it before. My boss is a really smart man. He said, ‘This job isn’t for everyone. You won’t know if it’s for you or not. There’s no shame in saying you can’t do this job because there are people who can’t. I’ve been doing it for four years now. It gets in your blood and it’s all you can do.”
Even though it can be downright fun to conquer a massive tower by climbing it, Brian Thomas says he takes seriously the public service he’s providing.
“It’s an occupation that’s more than just a job. It’s securing the country. If you didn’t have tower climbers, you wouldn’t have cell phones, television, radio or Internet. The entire country would just about shut down if you didn’t have men and women of our stature who are willing to do this kind of thing. The next time you pick up your cell phone, turn on your television or turn on your radio, there’s someone who risked there life for that for you.”
You can hear more stories in our Sense of Community series online at KSMU.org