Yuma, Arizona - On Monday, at 7:30 pm, a report was received of a person stuck in a bucket truck at least 50 feet in the air in the 3700 block of west 15th Street. Yuma Fire Department personnel found the person had been trimming tall palm trees when the bucket stopped working and would not lower. The person was not suffering any medical emergencies but had been up for almost 2 hours. The YFD 100 foot aerial ladder truck was called to the scene and a high angle rescue was conducted.
Parked cars had to first be cleared from the cul-de-sac to make room for the ladder truck. Using the ladder truck, YFD personnel trained in high angle rescue techniques were raised up to the stranded person’s level. Safety harnesses were used to transfer the landscaper to the aerial ladder, and all were lowered safely to the ground. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the mechanical failure was not known.
YFD personnel regularly receive training in conducting high angle rescues and other specialized technical rescue situations. YFD also maintains a Technical Rescue Team (TRT) of personnel who have received advanced training to deal with more complicated and hazardous rescues.