Most arborists are aware of the Z133 American National Standard for Arboricultural Operations – Safety Requirements. This standard is our road map for safely navigating through the numerous hazards associated with arboricultural operations. It is a living standard, one that [...]

Aerial rescue is something we practice but hope to never have to use. Over the years, there have been many advances in climbing gadgets and different equipment used in the field, but aerial-rescue principles and processes have pretty much remained [...]

Is aerial rescue worth practicing? The obvious answer is, “Yes!” You are probably one of those climbers who’s practiced aerial rescue (AR) several times. You’ve practiced dumping a training dummy out of the basket of a bucket truck. You may [...]

An arborist aloft is using a sharp hand saw to remove small branches. The saw slips during a cut and inadvertently cuts the arborist’s forearm. The wound is deep and renders the arborist disabled, but conscious. TCIA staff photos. As [...]

Fire departments often find that tree-worker rescue might be a blind spot for them. Photos courtesy of the author. About two years ago, Kevin Lunnie, co-founder of Vector Rescue, and his business partner, James Croswell, started looking at the kind [...]