It was a perfect summer Saturday in Medford, Massachusetts, a small suburb just west of Boston. Steve Mauras, fire department district chief of neighboring Somerville, was driving by a municipal park while running errands. He glanced at the impressive oak tree that towers over the athletic fields and noticed several people suspended from ropes high up in the canopy. From his vantage point, one figure appeared limp, slumped over and possibly in distress. His rescue instinct kicked in, and Mauras immediately pulled over to assess the situation and see if any assistance was needed.

Barrett Tree Service East and Somerville Fire Department’s Rescue 1 shared techniques during a joint training exercise.

As he approached, he was greeted by a boisterous and enthusiastic man who assured him the situation was under control, and who was eager to answer his questions. This was Brock Sainsbury, a member of Barrett Tree Service East (BTSE) in Medford, and anyone who’s met him knows his energy is contagious.

Sainsbury explained to Chief Mauras that he had organized this aerial-rescue training day for the climbing arborists employed by BTSE, a local employee-owned, TCIA-accredited tree care company headquartered not far from Playstead Park, where the group had assembled. The Barrett team was running high-angle rescue scenarios as part of their training schedule.

As Sainsbury walked Chief Maurus through what the climbers were learning and the benefit these skills would have in rescue situations, the pair realized they were speaking the same language, albeit with different dialects. Both professionals were well-versed in the workings of knots, pulleys and friction devices, both had spent much of their careers at heights in dangerous situations and both were responsible for the safety of their teams and the public at large.

This chance encounter led Chief Maurus to introduce Sainsbury to Captain Patrick Holloran, head of Somerville Fire Department’s Rescue 1 team. The Rescue 1 unit is responsible for all technical rescue operations in Somerville, a city of more than 80,000 in which BTSE has climbers aloft on a near-daily basis. The wheels began turning on a new and promising collaboration.

Practicing protocol
The aerial-rescue training program at BTSE was largely Sainsbury’s brainchild, and has been evolving with each semi-annual course. Sainsbury brought extensive experience in rescue and survival scenarios when he joined BTSE in 2017, including years of big-wall climbing in Yosemite National Park, time as a rafting guide in the Grand Canyon and ice climbing and dogsledding in extreme environments. With his intimate understanding of technical rock climbing, training in wilderness first aid and survival and years of experience operating BTSE’s 22-ton crane in difficult urban environments, Sainsbury was uniquely qualified to recognize the need for comprehensive high-angle rescue training – and to formalize that training process.

The idea was first put into action as a 45-minute presentation at the company’s annual field day, a company-wide day of education and team building. It has since evolved into a day-long course and has become a brainstorming session of sorts, with each of BTSE’s climbing arborists coming in with their unique ideas, skill sets and questions. One perspective has always been missing, however – that of the first responders on the other end of a 911 call.

BTSE’s rescue protocol begins with specific duties assigned to each crew member – including that crucial 911 call. Next, mechanical rescue is considered – as aid can often be administered via bucket truck, tracked lift or crane. Barrett also has instituted regular training sessions on rescues with, and from, these machines. But, as any arborist who has worked in urban environments knows, there are many canopies that can only be accessed by a skilled climber; these are easily the most challenging rescue scenarios to prepare for.

Part of the challenge in these scenarios is the unpredictable nature of response times. Barrett was operating with the understanding that whenever feasible and safe, we should “get our people on the ground.” But is this the most effective approach? Are there steps that we, as a company and as individuals, can take to improve our preparedness? The chance encounter with Chief Maurus offered an opportunity to begin answering these questions.

Barrett Tree Service East employees and Somerville Fire Department’s Rescue 1 team take part in joint aerial-rescue training. All photos courtesy of Andreas Aluia, CTSP.

Combining forces
Following the initial conversation with Chief Maurus, Sainsbury and Matt Pierce – who is now in charge of Barretts’ aerial rescue – reached out to Captain Holloran and began a dialogue. The Rescue 1 unit that Holloran heads handles everything from building collapses to confined-space rescues and complex rope operations. High-angle rescue of a climbing arborist is well within the scope of the unit’s purview. Sainsbury’s and Pierce’s goal was to ask questions, exchange techniques and ensure that our procedures align with theirs in an actual emergency.

As Captain Holloran explained, “When you get into the world of technical rescue, there are myriad skills you need to understand and continue to develop to hone your craft. We constantly work on rope skills and train to be prepared for every situation.”

He notes that some people were surprised to hear the team was training for arborist rescues inside the city, as this kind of rescue is (thankfully) quite rare. His answer was simple: “It’s not about the actual rescuing of a person in a tree. It’s about training for something beyond our current skill set that gives us a deeper understanding of how our current rope setups work.” Working in and around trees comes with a unique set of challenges that could help the Rescue 1 team hone their problem-solving skills.

Mutual benefits
One valuable takeaway from Rescue 1’s approach was the importance of establishing a high tie-in before emergency responders arrive – a concept that professional arborists will be familiar with. This could be the existing tie-ins used by the climbers prior to the incident, a preset backup line or a new anchor point set with a throwball. When descent with the injured party is deemed too risky, beginning the set-up process for the first responders can save valuable time.

Fire rescue teams must ascend and descend on two ropes per rescuer, and the rope specifications used by these response teams may differ from those commonly used in arboriculture. This means the responders need to install their own systems upon arrival. A pre-established tie-in can dramatically speed up the process of getting these systems in place.

This collaboration led to BTSE hosting a full-day training event with Rescue 1. Sainsbury and Pierce shared their gear and techniques with Captain Holloran’s team – SRT (stationary-rope technique), DRT (double-rope technique), harness systems, buck straps – and the Somerville unit demonstrated their equipment, including the wider 13 mm ropes, CMC clutch devices, pulleys and more. The event culminated with Sainsbury being lowered on a controlled zipline anchored to one of their response vehicles. Captain Holloran, Pierce and Sainsbury plan to continue this partnership, developing new scenarios and refining joint response strategies.

“Working with like-minded people from any industry is always a skill multiplier,” says Somerville’s Captain Patrick Holloran.

Conclusion
As Captain Holloran described the session, “Practicing us rescuing you and you rescuing us, and seeing how your team works, helps us better understand how we frame our response.” He recommends that any arborist company and local rescue crew make time to train together. “Working with like-minded people from any industry is always a skill multiplier. Sharing knowledge between industries is only going to strengthen the work we do.”

As a locally owned company with a mantra of “Educate, Inspire, Deliver,” BTSE could not agree more. As Matt Pierce puts it, “We’re proud to have contributed to bridging the gap between the tree care community and emergency responders. With all the tree companies in the Boston area, and thousands more across the country, we hope our collaboration inspires others to build similar partnerships.”

Special thanks to Somerville Fire Department Rescue 1 and to all the first responders and aerial-rescue experts across the country.

Andreas Aluia, CTSP, is training manager with Barrett Tree Service East Inc., an accredited, 19-year TCIA member company based in Medford, Mass.

Dylan Penkethman is an arborist and PHC technician with Barrett Tree Service East Inc. in Medford, Mass.