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2010 to Present HHW&P (Hetch Hetchy Water & Power)

  • Hetch Hetchy Water & Power supplies both to the City of San Francisco, CA. Linemen for the power transmission department are still receiving rescue training from RTR.  

  • HHW&P linemen working on WAPA 500kv tower near Elverta, California. Notice the drone flying to the left of the tower where linemen are performing multiple structure-based rescues. This drone was operated by Kevin Ogg from HHW&P

  • Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (City of San Francisco) transmission linemen working with RTR Senior Instructor, Reed Thorne (far left) on structure-based tower rescue techniques. 

  • Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (City of San Francisco) transmission linemen working with RTR Senior Instructor, Reed Thorne (far right) on structure-based tower rescue techniques. 

  • Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (City of San Francisco) transmission linemen Troy Harris walking the bundled conductor.

  • Hetch Hetchy Water & Power training with Reed Thorne of RTR at Western Area Power Administration training yard in Elverta, CA.

  • One example of our final day ground-based tower rescue procedure: the skate block.

  • HHW&P linemen up on the WAPA 500kv tower in Elverta, CA for RTR training. 


  • HHW&P Troy Harris using new tools for climbing a lattice steel transmission structure. 

  • Troy Harris climbs 500kv structure at Western Area Power Administration near Elverta, California duging Ropes That Rescue rescue training in June, 2015

  • HHW&P Training with RTR

  • HHW&P lineman, Troy Harris, with double lanyard step clip system attached to sternal D ring. The class concentrated on differing means of 100% tie off on steel lattice towers. 

  • Ropes That Rescue "Adopt-A-Highway" on Hwy 89A

    RTR has been 'sponsoring' (Adopt-A-Highway) a two mile section of Arizona scenic highway 89-A in Oak Creek Canyon since 1993. This beautiful scenic section is just above Midgley Bridge and includes a spectacular vista of the red rock Mitten Ridge and famous Teapot Rock (just behind the right sign post). 

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    This John William Waterhouse painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot. With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings 'her last song'. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolize life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river.

    From Reed Thorne: The classic Brittish Pre-Raphaelite style John William Waterhouse painting of The Lady of Shalott from the Tenneyson Poem. The painting is my favorite classical piece found in the Tate Museum in London. I stood in awe of it when I visited the Tate in 1974.

     

2007 to Present PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) Rope Access & Rescue

  • NOTE: RTR develops specific task-related transmission line and tower rope access plans and draws the specific towers with written procedures if needed. Reed's illustrations of transmission towers are second to none in the industry. Also, RTR can train linemen up on all the disciplines of rescue by fellow linemen on transmission structures. See the two professional rescue and rope access videos done for Georgia Power and PG&E on the Lineman Training page HERE

  • PG&E Towermen here using rope access techniques developed by RTR for accessing the mid guy intersections on 500kv transmission lines near Round Mountain (Redding) California in 2014.

  • PG&E Tower Crews here using rope access techniques developed by RTR for accessing down guys on dead end 500kv transmissionn lines near Round Mountain Substation (Redding) California in 2014.

  • Ropes That Rescue "Adopt-A-Highway" on Hwy 89A

    RTR has been 'sponsoring' (Adopt-A-Highway) a two mile section of Arizona scenic highway 89-A in Oak Creek Canyon since 1993. This beautiful scenic section is just above Midgley Bridge and includes a spectacular vista of the red rock Mitten Ridge and famous Teapot Rock (just behind the right sign post). 

  • This John William Waterhouse painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot. With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings 'her last song'. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolize life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river.

    From Reed Thorne: The classic Brittish Pre-Raphaelite style John William Waterhouse painting of The Lady of Shalott from the Tenneyson Poem. The painting is my favorite classical piece found in the Tate Museum in London. I stood in awe of it when I visited the Tate in 1974.

NSTAR Transmission Tower Rescue Training

  • RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne climbs NSTAR 345kv transmission tower demonstrating the shepherds hook means of "advance-placed" fall protection during 2013 program in Plymouth, MA

    NOTE: RTR develops specific task-related transmission line and tower rope access plans and draws the specific towers with written procedures if needed. Reed's illustrations of transmission towers are second to none in the industry. Also, RTR can train linemen up on all the disciplines of rescue by fellow linemen on transmission structures. See the two professional rescue and rope access videos done for Georgia Power and PG&E on the Lineman Training page HERE

  • It does not get much more fun than this with linemen! RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne co-instructed this workshop in 2013 and 2014 with father, Reed Thorne.

  • Fun towers to work on as one side is not energized! 

  • Each year, the linemen at NSTAR await the return of Ropes That Rescue Instructors, Reed and Keith Thorne. So much fun training during a five day class in Plymouth, MA

  • Here, NSTAR linemen work off the idler string on a 345kv dead end structure

  • RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne getting to the point with the NSTAR linemen.

  • Practice for each of the linemen using the shepherds hook for advance-placed fall protection

  • RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne, teaches correct method of linemen rappelling off of tower arm

  • NSTAR lineman reaching down below conductor to perform rescue. Uses AZTEK to pick them off the wire, then lower.

  • RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne arrives at the top of the 40' pole. He looks very comfortable up there. Now the climb down!

    Thanks NSTAR!

  • NSTAR linemen convinced RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne to put on the hooks and the belt and climb his first pole. After watching him, they said he was better his first time than many seasoned linemen on the job for more than ten years! Way to go, Keith!

  • All smiles as both NSTAR linemen descend to the ground.

  • Here, RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne is above on arm making sure linemen are hooking up correctly and doing safety, while Reed Thorne is in bucket truck watchig men doing the rescues. 

  • Ropes That Rescue "Adopt-A-Highway" on Hwy 89A

    RTR has been 'sponsoring' (Adopt-A-Highway) a two mile section of Arizona scenic highway 89-A in Oak Creek Canyon since 1993. This beautiful scenic section is just above Midgley Bridge and includes a spectacular vista of the red rock Mitten Ridge and famous Teapot Rock (just behind the right sign post). 

  • This John William Waterhouse painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot. With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings 'her last song'. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolize life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river.

    From Reed Thorne: The classic Brittish Pre-Raphaelite style John William Waterhouse painting of The Lady of Shalott from the Tenneyson Poem. The painting is my favorite classical piece found in the Tate Museum in London. I stood in awe of it when I visited the Tate in 1974.

LADWP (Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power) Tower/Conductor Rescue Workshop

  • NOTE: RTR develops specific task-related transmission line and tower rope access plans and draws the specific towers with written procedures if needed. Reed's illustrations of transmission towers are second to none in the industry. Also, RTR can train linemen up on all the disciplines of rescue by fellow linemen on transmission structures. See the two professional rescue and rope access videos done for Georgia Power and PG&E on the Lineman Training page HERE

  • LADWP rope rescue instructors (L to R) Craig Young, Juan Guevara, Richard Dehemmer, Wade Hildebrand, Ron Beech, Ron "Doc" Morrow, Martin Snow, Graham Peace

  • Crews from LADWP are responsible for over 1,200 circuit miles of EHV DC (extra high voltage direct current) bulk power transmission lines running from Oregon and Utah to the city of Los Angeles. Both lines are 2312 conductor in either twin bundle or tri-bundle configuration. Every year, each of these important bulk power lines are shut down for a period of one full week to allow LADWP crews to maintain hardware, insulators and spacers. All of this work for spacing is done by hand in spacer carts, or "buggies", and not by helicopter. So, as a result, LADWP was keen on developing a cart rescue plan which would allow a second cart to be launched with rescue retrieval rope and hardware. These photos show some of the work done to facilitate this type of structure-based cart rescue. A manikin was used to simulate the victim being lowered from the conductor bundle still within the cart to the ground.

  • Lowering the cart to the ground with the injured lineman in the cart.

  • NOTE: RTR develops specific task-related transmission line and tower rope access plans and draws the specific towers with written procedures if needed. Reed's illustrations of transmission towers are second to none in the industry. Also, RTR can train linemen up on all the disciplines of rescue by fellow linemen on transmission structures. See the two professional rescue and rope access videos done for Georgia Power and PG&E on the Lineman Training page HERE

  • Conductor cart rescue at LADWP

  • Linemen from LADWP performing mid span rescue of coworker suspended from conductor. A second blue safety line was used in all training as a backup to the main line used for rescue.

  • Linemen from LADWP performing mid span rescue of coworker within a conductor buggy while instructors look on. A manikin was used within the cart to simulate the victim needing rescue.


  • On dead end structures, crews wanted to transport the victim from the "hot" side of the dead end yoke at the end of the ladder to the towers foundation. A tracking line rigged off the conductor bundle was used for this purpose by LADWP linemen.

  • Wade Hildebrand sits on twin bundle 2312 from the Pacific NW-SW Intertie DC line ready to begin a rescue.

  • Linemen instructors watch from a close by man lift as crews attempt rescues off twin conductor of a the Pacific NW-SW Intertie DC line

  • LADWP instructors watch from a close by man lift

  • Line crew members rescue coworkers off of a dead end ladder system on the Pacific NW-SW Intertie DC line.

  • View of training towers for LADWP at the Valley Generating Station in Sun Valley. The Ropes That Rescue training occupied all three of the towers seen in this photo at the same time.

  • LADWP linemen on the bridge of the IPP (Intermountain Power Project) DC line use an AZTEK kit to lift an injured victim off the conductor tri-bundle below. RTR instructor Luke Thorne in red helmet watches rescue.

  • View of Intermountain Power Project DC power transmission line taken from the ground.

  • Rescue off of tangent tower of the IPP (Intermountain Power Project) DC line use an AZTEK kit to lift an injured victim off the conductor tri-bundle below. RTR instructor Luke Thorne in red helmet watches rescue.

  • Rescue from the cold end of double barrel V string insulators on the IPP line.

  • RTR Instructor Luke Thorne rappels off man lift while LADWP linemen above prepare for pick off rescue.

  • A 500kv dead end tower with three "stations" for teaching the LADWP linemen on structure-based tower rescue.

  • Ropes That Rescue "Adopt-A-Highway" on Hwy 89A

    RTR has been 'sponsoring' (Adopt-A-Highway) a two mile section of Arizona scenic highway 89-A in Oak Creek Canyon since 1993. This beautiful scenic section is just above Midgley Bridge and includes a spectacular vista of the red rock Mitten Ridge and famous Teapot Rock (just behind the right sign post). 

  • This John William Waterhouse painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot. With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings 'her last song'. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolize life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river.

    From Reed Thorne: The classic Brittish Pre-Raphaelite style John William Waterhouse painting of The Lady of Shalott from the Tenneyson Poem. The painting is my favorite classical piece found in the Tate Museum in London. I stood in awe of it when I visited the Tate in 1974.