ONE VERY WILD RIDE
Paramedics attend to a worker after he and a colleague were trapped on a swing-stage platform on the Stantec Tower in high winds Friday. Neither man was injured.
Two workers on a swing-stage platform on the east side of Stantec Tower were left dangling as high winds descended on downtown Edmonton Friday afternoon.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Service crews responded to the scene just before 1 p.m. to perform a high angle rescue. Fire rescue officials weren’t entirely sure why the two were up there but they believe it had something to do with maintenance work.
The area between the Stantec Tower and Edmonton Tower was closed off as emergency crews attended the scene.
A fire rescue spokesperson said one of the two was lowered to the ground and was looked after by EMS. The second worker was successfully rescued just before 2 p.m.
A video posted to social media Friday afternoon shows a platform swaying in the wind before crashing into the side of Stantec Tower, breaking windows and leaving one man dangling from the platform.
Scott Macdonald, deputy chief of operations with fire rescue, said one of the workers was able to bring the swing stage down. Macdonald said fire crews were on scene to help clean up the broken windows and to ensure no glass went flying in the wind.
“We’re trying to gauge the access to get up there and trying to help (construction crews) out and mitigate the safety hazard,” he said. “They don’t have the capacity to get some equipment out in a timely manner. The wind is going to keep getting picked up for the rest of the evening here.”
He said fire crews have the proper equipment to go up onto the ladder to take care of the glass. Macdonald believes the swing stage was about six to seven storeys above ground level.
WIND WARNING
Environment Canada issued a wind warning for Edmonton and much of central Alberta Friday morning.
“A low-pressure system moving through Alberta today will bring strong, gusty winds to central and eastern parts of the province,” the warning said. “Winds should strengthen early this afternoon, with gusts above 90 km/h likely and gusts above 100 km/h possible at times.”
Winds were expected to ease during the evening as the wild weather moved into Saskatchewan.