Cape May Fire Rescues Tower Painter

CAPE MAY- Cape May Fire Department was notified of a worker stranded in a lift truck on Columbia Avenue March 11 at 6:05 p.m.
According to a press release, painting contractors at the Madison Avenue Water Tower stated that one of their co-workers was stranded in the bucket of a hi-lift vehicle that was being used to refurbish the tower. A Cape May Fire Department duty crew consisting of Lt. Eck, Firefighters Rea, Warburton and Embs responded to the location. The crew developed a plan to remove the worker that was stranded approximately 25 feet in the air.
A tower ladder was backed into a parking lot of a nearby bank and lifted into position to perform the rescue which would include avoiding numerous power lines in the area.
Firefighters Rea and Embs worked from the top of the ladder to assist in removing the worker. Once the worker was safely on the ladder, the entire crew and worker were than lowered to ground level. The boom of the hi-lift vehicle was left in place over night until a repair crew would be able to assist with fixing and removing it from site.
No injuries resulted from this incident.