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500 feet in the air, business is booming: Working on communications towers is hazardous and bone-chillingly windy. But tower climbers are paid well, and the views are exhilarating.Nov 15, 2009 (Duluth News Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Tower climber Jeff Ernewein has seen so many stunning views that they're often lost on him. "I tend to get tunnel vision up there because we're so focused on what we're doing," he said. Added climber Jimmy Bonneville, who works alongside Ernewein for Alternative Communications Inc. of Duluth: "When you leave the ground, you need to be doing your job 100 percent, because when you're not paying attention, that's when accidents happen." He said a quarter dropped from 500 feet can pierce the sheet metal of a car. No wonder anyone working below a tower climber is required to wear a hard hat. Whenever a climber drops anything, the standard warning call is: "Headache!" And the single word sends grown men scurrying for cover. "There are no 'small' accidents up there," said Ed Thannum, an engineer for Northwestern College and Media, a company that owns two radio stations in Duluth -- KDNW-97.3 FM and KDNI-90.5 FM. The latter hired Alternative Communications to replace a deficient line on KBJR's tower Tuesday. Falling objects aren't the only hazards for groundlings. When climbers need to relieve themselves, it's common practice to warn those below and then let loose from the tower. But it's important to consider the wind, as climber Dave Rogers found out one day when his spray inadvertently hit his employer, who was standing some distance away from the tower. "Of course we try to spit down and see where it goes, but it's not always easy to judge," Bonneville said. "It's a bad day when you rain on the boss." Going up and down repeatedly wastes time, said Randy Haglin, Alternative Communications' owner. "When you've climbed 500 feet or more, you stay up there until the job is done, until you're frozen stiff or whatever," he said, noting that workers often stay on a tower for five to eight hours at a stretch. Climbers in demand Haglin's business is scaling new heights in 2009. Despite a recession, the current year likely will go down as one of the best yet for his firm. "It seems like we're seeing a little more activity every year because the communications business is a big deal. You have broadband and cellular and broadcast -- they all need antennas and they all have equipment that needs to go up on towers," he said. "From late summer to about the first of the year, we're swamped. "The economy doesn't seem to have hurt us at all," continued Haglin, who recently hired a third tower climber to keep pace with demand. Haglin also continues to work on towers himself, even at age 55. Climbers generally can earn anywhere from $15 to $30-plus an hour working for Haglin, depending on their skills. It's demanding work, and Haglin notes stamina and a rugged constitution are prerequisites. "It involves a whole different set of muscles than people typically use," he said. And without frequent activity, those muscles can quickly atrophy. "If you don't go up for a couple weeks, it's almost like starting over." "The biggest thing people don't realize is that it's a totally vertical climb and it feels unnatural. It's not like an angled ladder; it's straight up and down" said Larry Erickson, director of engineering for KBJR-TV, owner of an 804-foot tower Haglin and crew climbed this past week. Of course, climbers aren't just hoisting their own body weight. Haglin figures that gear, tools, plus a climbing harness and outerwear can easily add 70 pounds. Usually, towers are powered down to ensure climbers won't encounter electrical or radiation hazards. However, Haglin said his crews climb many live AM radio towers. To mount one, Haglin said climbers need to jump onto the structure or suffer a painful zap as electricity arcs through them to the ground. He described the experience of working a live tower as sometimes unpleasant, especially if you start to sweat, as moisture and current can produce an uncomfortable slow-burn sensation. The normal tower-climbing season in the Northland runs from March through December, although emergency calls can happen at any time and in any conditions. "We deal with some very cold wind chills," Haglin said. "The wind might be 10 mph on the ground and 50 mph up high." At times, conditions can be deceiving. "There have been summer days, where the temperature was in the upper-70s on the ground, and I've been in a hat and face mask, because the wind was so fierce on a tower," Ernewein said. "It's like a whole different world up there." To see more of the Duluth News Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Duluth News Tribune, Minn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |