Daily Voice
By Zak Failla From Daily Voice
Two window washers were left dangling high in Virginia on Thursday morning after their scaffold failed nearly 15 stories in the air, prompting a massive high-angle rescue that drew teams from across the region.
Fire officials said the emergency began around 9:17 a.m. when Technical Rescue units were sent to a suspended scaffold that had suffered a mechanical failure, trapping two workers on the side of a high-rise building in Tysons on Dec. 4, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.
Crews met with building management, who explained that the window-washing basket had malfunctioned and left the workers stranded above the street.
The scene of the rescue.
Rescue teams rushed to the rooftop, where they assessed wind conditions, checked the stability of the scaffold, evaluated anchor points, and identified edge hazards before building their systems.
Officials said crews from Rescue 402 and Rescue 401 set up twin-tension rope lowering systems anchored to structural steel beams using redundant anchors and edge-protection equipment.
The scene of the rescue in Fairfax County.
A detailed rescue plan was quickly put together before personnel were sent over the side.
The department said a rescuer made a controlled transition over the edge and descended to the first worker.
The scene of the rescue in Fairfax County.
After checking the worker’s harness and safety conditions, the rescuer secured them to the rope system and lowered both into a tower ladder bucket below. Crews then reset the system and repeated the operation for the second worker.
The scene of the rescue in Fairfax County.
Fire officials said, “We are extremely proud of our technical rescue members. Thanks to their expertise, there were no injuries, and everyone went home safe.”
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