Full Tower Rescue Field Evolution

Objective. Students perform a complete two-rescuer tower rescue evolution from an intermediate tower landing on a full-height structure, demonstrating all GWO rescue competencies at height without prompting

This lesson is the capstone field evolution for the Tower Climbing & Rescue course. You will execute a complete two-rescuer tower rescue from an intermediate landing on a full-height structure—without coaching—demonstrating every Global Wind Organisation (GWO) Basic Safety Training rescue competency under realistic conditions.

What the Evolution Requires

A rescue evolution is not a drill run in pieces. It is a continuous, uninterrupted sequence that begins the moment your team receives the scenario and ends when your patient is handed off at ground level and post-rescue documentation is complete. Every step must flow from the previous one. The instructor and a qualified observer watch the entire evolution silently; their job is to score, not to guide.

The sequence has five major phases: assess, package, rig, lower, and hand off. Missing or reversing any phase is a critical scoring error.

Pre-Rescue Documentation: Do Not Skip This

Before you touch the tower, your team completes a written hazard check, confirms your rescue plan, and inspects every piece of equipment. This is not paperwork for its own sake—it is the mental rehearsal that prevents errors at height. On the forms provided:

Record environmental hazards (wind speed, precipitation, electrical status of the turbine).
Confirm radio communication with ground personnel.
Inspect all fall-protection harnesses, lanyards, descenders, rescue lines, and the rescue kit for damage, expiration dates, and correct configuration.
Assign roles: Rescuer 1 (patient contact and packaging) and Rescuer 2 (rigging and lowering device operation).

Sign and date the form. The observer will collect it before you ascend.

Ascending and Locating the Patient

Ascend using 100% tie-off at all times—both lanyards are not ornamental; one must always be attached before the other is moved. At the designated landing, locate the manikin and call out your initial patient assessment to your partner. Treat the manikin as an incapacitated worker: unresponsive, unable to self-rescue.

Perform a brief scene-safety check at the landing before touching the patient: confirm no loose tools, confirm your own anchor points, confirm radio contact with the ground observer.

Packaging the Patient

Packaging means preparing an incapacitated person for a controlled vertical descent. Steps include:

1. Confirm the patient's harness is intact and properly fitted; if it is compromised, apply a rescue harness from your kit.

2. Connect your rescue line to the patient's harness at the rated attachment point—never to webbing, clothing, or non-rated hardware.

3. Position the patient so the spine is as neutral as possible and limbs will not snag on tower structure during descent.

4. Communicate each action to your partner before you perform it.

Packaging errors are among the most common causes of refer decisions. Move deliberately, not fast.

Rigging the Lowering System

Rescuer 2 selects and inspects the anchor point on the landing structure. The anchor must be independent of your personal fall-arrest anchor—never share anchors between the lowering system and your own protection. Rig the descender or rescue device per manufacturer instructions. Run a pre-load check: apply light tension and verify the system holds before committing the patient's full weight.

Communicate with the ground observer by radio before beginning the lower. Confirm the landing zone is clear.

Lowering and Hand-Off

Lower the patient at a controlled, steady rate. Rescuer 1 maintains visual contact with the patient and guides the descent verbally. Rescuer 2 operates the lowering device and monitors the anchor. Neither rescuer is ever unclipped from personal fall arrest during this phase—this is an absolute critical-error trigger if violated.

When the patient reaches the ground, the ground team takes control of the patient. Do not release the lowering system until the ground team verbally confirms they have the patient. Then descend normally and complete the hand-off documentation.

Critical Errors That Trigger an Automatic Repeat

The following errors each require a full repeat evolution on a separate session, regardless of your total score:

Any rescuer unclipped from personal fall arrest while at height.
Manikin dropped or allowed to free-fall any distance uncontrolled.
Rescue line improperly anchored—attached to a non-rated point or shared with personal fall arrest.

These are not judgment calls. If either the instructor or the qualified observer observes one, the evolution stops and a refer is recorded.

Lockout/Tagout Reminder

For evolutions conducted inside an operating or mothballed turbine, the turbine must be in a verified energy-isolated (lockout/tagout) state before entry. Your pre-rescue hazard check must confirm this in writing. Never assume the turbine is de-energized—verify it yourself through your assigned lockout procedure.

Post-Evolution Debrief

After the hand-off, your team reviews video or observer notes together. You will identify one thing your team did well and two specific improvements. This is not optional self-criticism—structured self-review is a GWO learning outcome. The instructor then delivers a formal pass or refer decision with written feedback on the rubric. A pass requires a score of 17 out of 20 with zero critical errors from both scorers independently agreeing.

How This Prepares You for Credentialing

GWO Basic Safety Training assesses whether you can perform rescues safely and independently. NCCER Wind Turbine Tech credentials your technical competency in tower operations. OSHA 10 grounds your understanding of hazard recognition and hierarchy of controls. This evolution draws on all three: hazard documentation (OSHA), rescue technique (NCCER), and independent performance under GWO competency standards.

Key terms10

Rescue evolutionA continuous, uninterrupted end-to-end practice of the full rescue sequence—assess, package, rig, lower, and hand off—performed without coaching, used to verify competency.

100% tie-offA fall-protection practice in which at least one lanyard remains attached to an anchor at all times while at height, so the worker is never unclipped during any movement.

Patient packagingThe process of preparing an incapacitated person for a controlled vertical descent, including harness inspection or replacement, rescue-line attachment, and body positioning.

Independent anchorAn anchor point used exclusively for the lowering system that is separate from and not shared with any rescuer's personal fall-arrest anchor.

Pre-load checkA brief test in which light tension is applied to the rigged lowering system before the patient's full weight is committed, to verify the anchor and device are holding correctly.

Critical errorA specific unsafe act—such as a rescuer becoming unclipped, a manikin being dropped, or a rescue line being improperly anchored—that automatically requires a full repeat of the evolution regardless of total score.

Pass/refer decisionThe formal outcome of a competency assessment: 'pass' means the student met all standards; 'refer' means the student must remediate and attempt the evolution again.

Lockout/tagout (LOTO)A federally regulated procedure (OSHA) used to verify that hazardous energy sources—electrical, mechanical, hydraulic—are isolated and secured before workers enter or work on equipment.

GWO Basic Safety Training (BST)A portable, internationally recognized safety credential issued by the Global Wind Organisation, covering topics including working at height and rescue, required by many wind-energy employers.

Lowering deviceA mechanical descender or rescue device that allows a rescuer to control the rate of a patient's descent during a tower rescue; must be rigged and operated per the manufacturer's instructions.

In class: Instructor briefs the scenario (worker incapacitated at a designated landing; rescue team must assess, package, rig, lower, and hand off); each student team completes independent pre-rescue documentation (hazard check, rescue plan confirmation, equipment check) before ascending · Student teams ascend to the designated landing, locate the manikin, and execute the complete rescue sequence; instructor and a qualified observer monitor from the landing and ground positions; no coaching is provided during the evolution · Post-rescue debrief: each team reviews video or observer notes of their evolution, identifies one thing done well and two improvements; instructor provides formal pass/refer decision with written feedback
Materials: Full-height training tower or industry partner turbine with intermediate landing access, full PPE ensembles, complete rescue kits, weighted rescue manikin, radios, pre-rescue documentation forms, stopwatch, observer rubrics, GWO BST participant handbook
Check: Instructor and qualified observer independently score the evolution using a GWO-aligned 20-point field rubric; both scorers must agree on pass/refer; pass requires 17 of 20 with zero critical errors; any critical error (rescuer unclipped, manikin dropped, rescue line improperly anchored) requires a full repeat evolution on a subsequent session

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.