The Daily BuzzWindow washers rescued from high rise — 19 storeys up
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If you get dizzy just thinking about the heights that window washers reach, this video might not be for you.
An equipment malfunction left two Oakland, California window washers stuck in a cage on the side of a high rise, 19 storeys up.
Police shut down the street while Oakland Firefighters determined how to rescue the men, who had already been stranded there for two hours.
Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Coy Justice told NBC Bay Area that his department had trained for a rescue like this, but never had to deal one in real-life.
A firefighter rappelled down the 25-storey building’s glass exterior and helped the workers into harnesses as emergency crews kept close watch from the roof.
By then, a crowd had gathered below the building. When the men and their rescuer were safely hoisted to the the roof, the crowd broke into cheers and applause.
The window washers were hungry and a bit dehydrated, but were otherwise in good health and “good spirits.”
The entire rescue took about 25 minutes.
"A lot of training goes into this type of high-angle rescue… of course you get a little anxious and a little stressed," firefighter Brian Fukuhara told 7Online.
"I’m a little afraid of heights," he admitted.
Attorney Neal Parish was inside the building at the time and photographed some of the rescue from his colleague’s office.
“The first one I saw he looked very excited,” Parish told CBS San Francisco. “His eyes were wide open, I mean, that would be pretty scary being pulled up five plus floors.”
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Watch raw videos of the rescue below:
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