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History Channel Suicide Missions

The History Channel “Suicide Missions” HIGH VOLTAGE showing 500kv energized rescue of injured linemen from center bundle where clearances were too tight.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)

The Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) production for their crews on what we did to access cross tie spacers in their extensive 500kv system
in California.

Georgia Power Company

The Quanta Energized Services produced video of Ropes That Rescue hands-on training at Georgia Power Company where line crews were replacing center phase V string insulators on live 500kv lines.

Ropes That Rescue provides THREE SERVICES to the Electric Utility and Power Delivery Industry:

  1. POWER LINE RESCUE & FALL PREVENTION TRAINING (Scroll Down)
    Ropes That Rescue (RTR) is a leader in the electrical bulk power delivery (transmission) field. We specialize in tower, substation and mid-span conductor rescue training. This knowledge comes from transmission line experience in T&D which very few training companies can offer. RTR knows power lines and has trained some of the largest utilities in the US. We always say “Training BY linemen, FOR linemen”. 

  2. POWER LINE ROPE ACCESS TRAINING (Scroll Down)
    Ropes That Rescue (RTR) is a leader in the electrical bulk power delivery (transmission) field. We specialize in tower, substation and mid-span conductor rescue training and rope access. Our power line rope access training was ground-breaking in the early years and RTR’s Reed Thorne pioneered the way for power companies to use this as a tool on power transmission structures. It was a steep learning curve as getting linemen to wear climbing style helmets instead of the usual linemen “brain buckets”  was a tough sell. Reed’s initial rope access techniques were recorded in Alan Drew’s historical “The American Lineman” book for Northwest Linemen College.Many of Reed's early photos of power line rope access are shown in this publication. The very first SPRAT (Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians) certified transmission linemen were  a tough group of Southern California Edison Company Trainers in 2007 trained by Reed. 
    Reed's knowledge comes from transmission line experience in T&D which very few training companies can offer. RTR knows power lines and has trained some of the largest utilities in the US. We always say “Training BY linemen, FOR linemen”. 

  3. LINE WORK WRITTEN PROCEDURES & TOWER ILLUSTRATIONS (Below)
    Ropes That Rescue can provide detailed WRITTEN PROCEDURES for your transmission/substation work or rescue. We can meticulously illustrate with detail the procedures for the work method. This means drawing and illustrating your particular transmission towers or substation structures with precision. RTR will take blueprints of your towers and structures and design the procedure to fit your needs. The procedures and associated illustrations will be comprehensive and will provide the groundwork for work method involving rope. A good ilustration is worth a thousand words. 

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1. Linemen RESCUE / FALL PREVENTION

Our in-depth, hands on training is broken into three distinct and different areas involving transmission lines:
  1. Rope rescue of linemen off of power transmission towers and conductors
  2. Fall protection using 100% attachment and rope
  3. Rope access for transmission linemen (doing work via rope with written work procedure)

READ MORE about Linemen RESCUE / FALL PREVENTION

Linemen rescue fall prevention

2. Linemen ROPE ACCESS

Our in-depth, hands on training is broken into three distinct and different areas involving transmission lines:

  1. Rope access for transmission linemen (doing work via rope with written work procedure)
  2. Rope rescue of linemen off of power transmission towers and conductors
  3. Fall protection using 100% attachment and rope

READ MORE about Linemen ROPE ACCESS

Linemen rope access

 

"Ropes That Rescue TOWER ACCESS & RESCUE training is simply...unique" 

 

We understand the differences between standard rope rescue, industrial rope access, technical rescue training techniques and equipment and those used in the 'tower trades'. RTR instructor, Reed Thorne, has been working in and around the towers for much of his life. His work with tower rescue training, including high voltage power transmission linemen, is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. Even the History Channel extensively documented Reed's rescue techniques in their series Suicide Missions presentation "High Voltage" filmed with Georgia Power linemen on energized 500,000 volt power lines! No other training company can bring to the table the depth of knowledge in rescue from towers of any kind like RTR. These simple, yet effective technical rescue techniques taught in several RTR programs incorporate the latest developments in lightweight, multi-function equipment that workers would be normally using to provide work positioning and fall protection at elevation. At the conclusion of our training, participants will be better prepared to deal with emergencies they may encounter during routine work assignments.

RTR line worker rope access training on high voltage power transmission lines focuses on job-specific techniques and extensive hands-on practicals to provide line workers with the means for both self-rescue and more difficult evacuation of injured coworkers.

 

 

"The choice is not a choice at all...

Reed has the years and years of experience with high voltage power lines that others teaching tower rescue lack...

Who else would you trust?"

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Choose your Linemen Training of INTEREST

RTR in the NEWS 




Ropes That Rescue seminars have been featured on the covers of both TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION WORLD, UTILITY SAFETY and ELECTRIC ENERGY magazines. Reed Thorne is also a speaker at many conferences in the power delivery industry including EEI, ESMO 2000, 2002 and T&D World Expo 2000.

Read the T&D Article

techncial rope access training

Linemen rescue training on a live 345kv line with ORANGE & ROCKLAND UTILITIES (Con Edison, NY). in September 2001. This is the company newsletter distributed to employees. Photo from O&RU

Who has RTR taught?

  • RTR has trained:

    • Public Service Electric & Gas, NJ 
    • Hetch Hetchy Water and Power (City of San Francisco), CA
    • Sunflower Electric Transmission, KS
    • Pacific Gas & Electric, CA (Towermen in rope access for all grids)
    • Pacific Gas & Electric, CA (Linemen Trainers at Livermore Training Center)
    • Georgia Power Comany (Line Trainers at Klondyke Training Center)
    • Southern California Edison Company (Trainers at all seven grids)
    • Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (all transmission linemen in California, Utah and Nevada.)
    • Con Edison, NY
    • NSTAR, CT
    • Orange & Rockland Utilities, NY
    • Vermont Electric Transmission, VT
    • New York Power Authority, NY
    • Northwestern Energy, MT
    • Tucson Electric Power, AZ
    • San Diego Gas & Electric, CA
    • Bonneville Power Administration, WA
    • Consumers Energy, MI
    • Salt River Project, AZ
    • Sacramento Municipal Utility District, CA
    • Electrical Trust of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia

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VERMONT ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION CO linemen training on one of their 400 KVDC tangent structures during a Ropes That Rescue 3 day workshop on transmission line rescue.