By Jean P. Fisher
The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Copyright 2006 The News and Observer
It’s a heart-pounding experience to go to the roof of one of Raleigh’s tallest buildings, walk to the edge and let go. But 10 firefighters with the Raleigh Fire Department went over the side of the Wachovia building Saturday in case, someday, you need them to.
“The hardest part is going over the edge,” said Thomas Johnson, one of the firefighters who strapped on a harness, grabbed a long blue rope and rappelled down from 440 feet. “It’s not normal just to let go.”
Johnson and the others training Saturday serve on the N.C. Urban Search and Rescue Team, a statewide disaster response team. They are the crew that shows up to search the woods for lost people, do rescues in rushing water, pull people from collapsed buildings and, yes, save anyone who gets stranded atop tall buildings.
The 30-story Wachovia Capital Center on Fayetteville Street is the tallest structure Raleigh firefighters have trained on.
This spring, a training group became the first to go down the building. Chief John T. McGrath, who took over as the Raleigh Fire Department’s top official in February, dropped by. When offered a trip down the side, he went over the edge in his dress uniform. That earned the new chief, who is in his 50s, a lot of respect, firefighters said.
“It’s a good morale booster,” said Kevin Ellsworth, the first man down the building Saturday. “If [the chief] can do it, we should do it.”
To date, Raleigh firefighters haven’t had much opportunity to use their rappelling skills for actual rescues. Lt. Jerry Jones, who watched from the foot of the building as a colleague stood ready to yank a brake line should anyone pick up too much speed, said the last time he can recall a “high-angle” rescue was about 10 years ago. A window washer’s scaffolding gave way, and firefighters plucked him from the side of the Wake County Courthouse.
Nonetheless, it is important for firefighters to keep their skills sharp for the times they are needed, said Division Chief James Poole. That is especially true as Raleigh gets more tall buildings, he said. A 43-story hotel and condo tower is planned near Crabtree Valley Mall.
“Obviously, the higher the buildings get, the more opportunity we have to need to do rescues,” Poole said. “We plan for it to happen and hope it never happens.”