A Florida firefighter talked about performing his first high angle rescue by scaling down to a NASA building to rescue painters on a broken scaffold.
The incident happened in October at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, according to the space agency, according to the space agency. The motor on a scaffold malfunctioned, and a team of three painters was suspended for a couple of hours 375 feet off the ground on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building.
“I had never been a part of a high angle rescue,” said Kennedy Space Center firefighter Andrew Morgan, according to NASA. “This was the first occasion to use the skills that my team and I have practiced many times.”
When Morgan reached the facility's roof, he and his team put together a mechanical advantage system with pulleys and ropes so they could lower someone down to the scaffold. Rain and the darkness of night complicated the rescue, and portable lights were brought in.
“We had to make sure that everything was precise and methodical, leaving no room for error,” Morgan said. “The hardest part was the lack of visibility on the roof.”
Morgan scaled down the side of the giant U.S. Flag-emblazoned building to reach the scaffolding and the painting. On the scaffolding, Morgan strapped a painter to himself, and the two were hoisted up to the roof.
"When I got down there to them, I could tell that they had been there a while and they were ready to get off," Morgan told WOFL-TV. "They didn’t want to be on that narrow scaffolding anymore. Once we started going up, nerves set in. But once we got to the top he was grateful, he was excited to be off the side of the building. He was very appreciative, to say the least, when we got up there."
A replacement scaffolding motor finally arrived at the scene in time to haul the other two painters to safety, NASA said.
In order to perform the rescue, 19 firefighters carried 900 pounds of rope and equipment to the building's roof. They needed to take an elevator to the 34th floor before switching to a smaller elevator w/a strict weight limit that required the firefighters and gear to travel to the roof in shifts.
“The rescue team did a phenomenal job. I’m proud of them,” said Chief Richard Anderson, according to NASA. “We train for this, and NASA outfits us well.”
Morgan, who has been a firefighter since 2007, joined the Kennedy Space Center department in 2015. Because of his actions, Morgan was named the Firefighter of the Year by Brevard County's Space Coast Fire Chief's Association.
“Throughout this process, Andrew has consistently recognized his fellow team members, which is a testament to him as an individual,” said Anderson, according to NASA. “It is our honor to have Andrew represent our department, our company, and NASA.”
