Tall order: Firefighters climb Orlando Eye
Ascension marks final step in rope-rescue training
Not much more than a body harness and two lanyards kept Cody Hesser attached to the top of the Orlando Eye, the new 400-foot observation wheel on International Drive, on Wednesday morning.
“You’re definitely up there by yourself,” said Hesser, 32. “It’s just you, the wind and God.”
Members of the Orange County Fire Rescue Special Operations team moved methodically around the wheel, the final step of a three-month selection process for a team that will swing into action if the wheel malfunctions and people need to be rescued.
The months of training will benefit more than the Eye as other towering attractions keep springing up on IDrive, said David Hollenbach, battalion chief of special operations.
In 2017, a 600-foot roller coaster called the Skyscraper is set to open just up the road from the Orlando Eye at the planned new Skyplex entertainment complex. Inside the framework of that roller coaster will be a 450-foot
free-fall ride. At Vue at 360, a different proposed complex on I-Drive by the same developer as the Eye’s location, a 420-foot-tall spinning attraction was announced. No opening date for that attraction has been announced.
“This gives us just another tool in the tool belt,” Hollenbach said.
Although Orlando and county firefighters are trained for emergencies at the region’s attractions, the daunting task of climbing a giant wheel is uncharted territory.
“Most of our rope-rescue operations that we currently are trained for are specific to elevator shafts, maybe from a high roof somewhere, [like] window washers, where access is a little easier,” said Hollenbach. “You don’t have to first climb a unique structure to get where you need to be.”
The Orlando Eye’s sister wheel, the London Eye, on the bank of the River Thames, has never needed an emergency rescue.
“We’ve got a lot of redundancy that’s built into the wheel,” said Robin Goodchild, the wheel’s general manager. “But we need to have everything.”
In January, the candidate pool started with 70 hopefuls who have faced various challenges climbing and training. Some failed the tasks; others simply opted out of the program, Hollenbach said.
Seventeen of Wednesday’s 18 participants completed the pass-or-fail task. Pete Diepeveen, a specialoperations lieutenant who made the climb as well, said one candidate had to quit because his hands were cramping. Wednesday was the first of three days during which 50 of the department’s candidates will face the Eye.
By the time the Orlando Eye opens May 4, there will be a final team of 40 specifically trained to scale the ride.
“If they don’t make it around the Eye, they don’t make the team,” said Hollenbach, who also made the climb. “We’re looking for the best of the best.”
Department leaders have worked with Orlando Eye staff since 2013 to perfect the type of response needed in the absolute worst-case scenario, even if that seems unlikely to occur. Goodchild said the Orange County team received training from the London team.
“That gives me reassurance,” he said. “I know we have the best team here.”
Climbers will be equipped with specialty harnesses and ropes, supplied by Orlando Eye, that have higher weight capacities, said Hollenbach.
Goodchild said it made sense for the attraction to foot the equipment bill.
“It’s for our own benefit,” he said. “It’s safety and rescue. It’s protecting our asset at the same time.”
Hesser, an engineer for the department, said Wednesday’s training was the easiest part of the last few months.
“It was a real good time,” he said. “You just got out there, and you got the wind on you, and you see everything.”