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Video: Firefighter climbs 70-foot flagpole to fix pulley

Wind whipping, Ty Graham dangled 200 feet above downtown Waterloo for the repair job

WCF Courier

WATERLOO, Iowa — Ty Graham is not afraid of heights. But high winds gave him moments of concern as he dangled some 200 feet above downtown Waterloo on Monday.

Graham climbed to the top of the 70-foot flagpole atop the Black’s Building to replace a pulley that was broken in a storm earlier this year. Wind gusts of more than 25 mph caused the pole to sway as Graham made his ascent.

“You can hear it coming,” he said of the wind. “A couple of times I was like, ‘you’ve got to be patient, you’ve got to relax.’” Graham was hired by Midtown Development, which owns the eight-story building, to replace the pulley. The pulley was damaged in severe weather and sent the building’s American flag onto Sycamore Street. Once the pulley and rigging are set, the flag will fly on the pole once again.

Full story: VIDEO: Firefighter climbs pole atop city to fix flag pole