Firefighters rescue man from more than 100-foot tower

Click here for updates on this story

    SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (Star-Herald) — Scottsbluff firefighters rescued a man Monday who had climbed a water tower in Scottsbluff.

The man, who identified himself as a veteran, called the Star-Herald. A customer service representative received the call.

The man said that he had been suffering from joint pain and was unable to get any help. He told the Star-Herald customer service representative that he had been on the water tower all night, and said he was cold due to overnight temperatures.

“When he first called, I didn’t know if it was a real call or not,” the representative, Peggi Carabajal, said. She said she tried to remain calm and ask him questions as another employee called the police.

In scanner traffic, the caller was described as threatening suicide, however, the Star-Herald representative said he had not threatened suicide while he was on the phone with her. As he was transported to the hospital, he was indicated in scanner traffic to be a man in his 60s and suffering from hypothermia.

The man had been stationed on a walkway on the tower and was at such a great height that it exceeded the ladder of Tower One, the Scottsbluff Fire Department’s aerial truck. The ladder on Tower One can extend up to 100 feet. The man was lowered, in a harness, by a line to the bucket of Tower One to be brought to the ground for medical care.

The Star-Herald received the call shortly 8 a.m. and he was transported to Regional West about 11:35 a.m.

The man was placed into emergency protective custody.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.