[WRE UPDATE | PROJECT]
Mechanic Eric Jensen sets up yoke plate on the American side.
End-to-End Safety Measures
While O’Connell Electric provided support in the air, Wallenda had capable assistance on the ground and in the waterways as well. Together, the Niagara Falls Fire Department, Police, Emergency Medical Services, and Niagara Power Generation worked to ensure a safe crossing for the high-wire artist.
The safety precautions for this stunt included:
Linemen installing the pendulum weights to stabilize the wire.
(3 images above) Copyright© 2012 O’Connell Electric Co./
KeithMeehanPhotography.com
manufacturing, railroads and government across the United States and Canada. T e IBEW directed him to several line contractors one of them being O’Connell, who works closely with the IBEW Local Union 1249. “T ese are the guys who string wires
across canyons all over the United States. It just made sense to call IBEW.” T ough the O’Connell crew, based
out of Victor, New York, has had plenty of electrical construction experience and have long diff erentiated themselves by pursuing and taking on unique and diffi cult projects, they’d never been called upon to execute a job on such a grand—and dangerous— scale. Prior to Wallenda’s request, the century-old company’s most publicized project was providing power for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. O’Connell Electric started as a small private company, founded in 1911, that focused on installing power lines would deliver power to upstate New York. Since then, the fi rm has diversifi ed into such areas as renewable energy, communications, and transportation. With its excellent track
1. One safety basket on both the Canadian and American sides of the tightrope. The baskets were designed to hold two people so that a member of the Wallenda safety team could move across the rope and retrieve Wallenda from his safety tether.
2. Technical rescue crews next to the platforms on the ground were ready with zip lines and other safety equipment to rescue Wallenda as an alternative to the baskets.
3. If there was a fall in the water, the 11-person Swift Water Rescue Group was on hand to retrieve anyone who may have gone over the falls or fallen into the lower river.
Fortunately, none of these safety measures needed to be implemented during Wallenda’s walk.
Even without the addition of a high-profi le tightrope crossing, offi cials in the Niagara Falls community are well-versed in providing specialized assistance in the event of an emergency at this extremely popular tourist site.
“There have been a number of times over the years when we’ve had to help boaters and other motorists who have had the misadventure to get caught in local waterways and in some cases head toward the falls,” Niagara Falls Fire Chief Lee Smith noted in an interview with Field ID, a safety compliance management company.
Notably, the Niagara Parks Police staff is trained in high-angle rope techniques to assist in maneuvering safety personnel into the appropriate position to help with rescue eff orts.
Nik Wallenda walking his way into the history books.
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
JULY-AUGUST 2012
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