A Shoreline Fire technical rescue expert saved a man who unsuccessfuly attempted to parachute from a radio tower in Shoreline early this morning. It was a challenging and nerve-wracking effort by Shoreline Fire Lieutenant Michael Ryan and two Northshore Fire Department firefighters who are specially trained in technical rescue techniques. The Seattle and Edmonds Fire Departments were also at the scene providing back up assistance and standing by in case of complications during the operation. Dozens of fire and police crews, TV cameras and spectators watched nervously below for several hours as the rescue unfolded.
It began around 1:00 a.m. Monday when the parachutist became entangled in a structural support cable about 150 feet off the ground. The tower is on the property of Crista Ministries in Shoreline and is the main broadcast tower for the Crista radio station. A companion parachutist called 9-1-1 after his partner ran into the guy wire. The companion apparently jumped successfully after his friend became entangled.
The man dangled precariously from the cable for about two hours while fire department personnel planned the dangerous night-time rescue. Ryan, and Northshore Firefighters Brian Gilbert and Brian Ford, climbed the tower and then rigged a harness set-up that allowed Ryan to belay out onto the cable. With Gilbert and Ford slowly releasing the rope system, Ryan moved along the cable toward the stranded parachutist. He reached the man, attached a safety harness to him, then cut the chute loose. The rescuers then lowered Ryan and the man to an Edmonds Fire Department aerial truck platform about 30 feet below.
"I didn't look at the parachute at all," said Ryan, 43. "I didn't want to distract myself worrying about its stability when I had my mind on securing the man before anything else happened." Ryan said the man was cold, but otherwise unhurt. "He thanked me a lot...and apologized repeatedly for causing so much trouble", Ryan said.
King County Sheriff's deputies took custody of the jumper after Shoreline medics tranported him to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation. According to police, he could face charges of trespassing and reckless endangerment. The man is said to be involved in base jumping, where parachutists challenge each other to jump from bridges, buildings, and antenna towers.
"The skills of Lt. Ryan and the two rescuers from Northshore fire were put to the test -- and they made everyone proud tonight," said Shoreline Fire Department's Melanie Granfors. "They executed a brave and daring effort, along with lots of support on the ground. It was tough to watch our colleagues in such a dangerous situation, but we knew their training and stamina would prevail. The parachutist should be extremely grateful for their efforts and others like him should understand the danger they put rescue crews in when they engage in this type of activity. We salute the technical rescue team, and that jumper is one very lucky individual because of them."
Meanwhile, Ryan went back to work, and said he hopes his wife isn't shocked when she wakes up to TV news footage that shows him dangling from that cable nearly 200 feet in the air.
