Firefighters from Greene County Fire Rescue and local arborists ascended to new heights on Dec. 4 as they completed aerial rescue training at Arbor Equity’s Greensboro property.
Arbor Equity, a tree preservation firm, provides tree pruning, tree removal, and other plant healthcare services across the state. To protect its workers, the company hosts yearly aerial rescue training.
This year, Arbor Equity invited firefighters to the training so both groups can work together to save lives.
About 15 firefighters from Engines 11 (Greensboro), 12 (Union Point), 13 (Richland Connector), and Battalion 1, as well as paramedics from Greene County EMS MED 3, were trained in the latest techniques for rescuing people from trees that cannot be accessed by fire trucks.
“[The training] is about private industry and government industry coming together for the greater good to work on public safety,” Arbor Equity President Daniel Bauer explained. “Tree work is one of the highest fatality industries out there because a lot of people believe they can just go grab a chainsaw and do tree work, so we want to make sure we protect ourselves and can save ourselves.
"We wanted to invite the fire department out to learn what our gear looks like and how we go up trees and descend down trees. This way, they’re more familiar with it. We also wanted to see how they would respond if we call 911 for help," he continued. “[The techniques can help them] respond to people in trees, whether it be deer hunters or skydivers that get caught in a tree.”
Fire Chief Rodney Wiggins said he enjoyed building a relationship with Arbor Equity while intertwining the first responder and arborist professions.
“Our techniques and their techniques are totally different, but if we can work together and understand that we’re trying to accomplish the same goal, we’re winning. The customer’s winning,” he shared. “If we have these types of rescues, we want to make sure that we’re up to speed so we can give the best rescue we can to the customer that calls for us. That’s what it’s all about.”