I’ve been seeing a lot of comments from people saying that Tower climbers need to unionize. Tower climbers were recently being represented by the CWA (communication workers of America ). I was a founding member of the Tower climbers Union. We chartered our first local last year in Phoenix, Arizona July 4th, shortly thereafter everything fell apart. In my opinion, due to a common distrust with the union that was representing the climbers. Link to recent article discussing this documentary/the union push among other issues. www.fierce-network.com/broadband/nobody-knows-we-exist-history-cell-tower-climber-safety
Thank you for letting me part of this documentary to all new climbers out there. Be aware of your surroundings and remember not to cut any corners double check your equipment before each use make your inspection become a habit. Stay safe whoop whoop
Absolutely brother you have many years of experience to bring to the table. Thank you for your perspective and for being a part of it. I can’t believe how many years went by since you started working with me at FCC . Great times.
And DEMAND MORE MONEY , like the guy said "the world would stop without telecommunications" , I think these climbers are in the driving seat when it comes to negotiating the wages , if I was them I would not maintain the towers see how long that lasts , they will beginning them back after a couple of days !
Thanks for all you guys do!!! Im a firefighter, id rather do that than what you guys do!! And your work allows us to get the comms we need to help people!!! THANKS AGAIN! Be safe fellas!
This is amazing! Being a sister of a tower climber (Wills) I’ve lived this life on both sides of it on the road and waiting at home for my brother to get back… stay 100! Support you tower climbers!!
Great video! I just got out after 13 years in the industry. This slowdown, chasing the work, working 100hrs a week, traveling. Fought the good fight, loved/hated every second of it, miss it every day. Being home with my fam is better tho.
From a 12 year vet on the structural side of things I wanna say thank you for this video guys! Every part of this video hit home for me. Currently on a gin pole job taking down guyed towers. Much love brothers
Awesome doc, im a tower climber from sweden and we have many of the same issues here. Have worked with a few companies now, and you always see the same thing you guys spoke about, where they will have some guy whose job it is to talk about how important safety is (even though hes never climbed) but then the moment money is on the line, it all goes out the window. Have multiple experiences where ive raised a concern to a manager, and the response is "Dont want to hear it, just get it done"
Wow. That doesn’t surprise me to hear that though. I have spoken with Climber from a few different countries. Some have it really bad. What we need is an international organization to protect all Climbers. Thanks for checking out the video man and I hope you stay as safe as you can.
Off track: I wonder if someone has ever got to the top and froze? You, gentleman, have my greatest respect and admiration. Please take care of yourselves. And yes, you are greatly needed and underappreciated.
Being in the HVAC industry I've been the goto guy for high places, I've had close calls but also have huge respect for heights. I'm also a HAM radio operator and have gone through tower and rescue climbing training. My climbing for anything HAM radio related is free due to my FCC license, however the Repeater Association does pay for our training / certification. Huge respect for those who climb it's an amazing thing to be able to do. Stay safe!
@WendySchuch 0 seconds ago Well done, my dear brother! 👏 I am super proud of you and this great informative documentary to raise awareness about this dangerous yet crucial line of work. Let us all be more mindful and grateful for the risks you all take for us to have these modern conveniences of phone and internet. I pray you all get the compensation and benefits you deserve. 🙌😘🫶🙏LOVE YOU!! And nice job adding the song from our talented brother Stephen Schuch. #SCHUCH #TommySchuchMedia
Great job guys. I’ve been telling some of my buddies for years now that this needs to be done. A good well done documentary would shed light on the industry. And it needed to be done by a younger group of guys who’s been around awhile. It really is a love/hate relationship ha I love the work and the camaraderie we build with one another and seeing different parts of the country. However I hate being away from my kids, I hate the trickle down sub out bs that hurts our pay, I hate the companies that hire anyone who will put on a belt regardless of true experience or their life “habits”. It hurts us all especially us guys who are passionate about our career. I pride myself on being one of the younger guys who is known for getting shit done but I’ll get it done safely. It’s easy to inspire the young kids who come in with fire in their eyes and see a guy 10-12 years older than them not only moving and kicking ass but always being safe. Safety is always first on my sites. The cut can wait. The welding inspector can wait. I’m not pushing me or my guys past reason. If someone isn’t mentally in it to keep going, etc. then the entire crew calls it together. The problem is now days these small fly by night companies get In good with crown or another big contractor because they know someone and regardless of the companys practices they’ll keep getting work until shit hits the fan. I just had a small company literally beg me to come work for them, guy literally called and text for 5 months. ( my brother worked for him and he was familiar with our work, my PM used to sub him work and vice versa) Paid me pretty good. Paid for my crown welding test and everything. Well he turned on me quickly because I come there, nobody knows shit. Riding ropes without back grabs constantly. Free climbing all over the place. None of them could tie a knot to save their lives. Only knot any of them knew was a bowline. Didn’t know how to use half their equipment. When they were tied off it would be to a hand rail or antenna pipe or hand rail. I let them know how dis pleased I was whenever they decided to send me up a 1600lb boom on a 1000lb cat head. Also didn’t want me to rig a stiff back line to help because they didn’t understand it. Well long story short two cat heads got ruined that day and that was the beginning of the end for me there. I stood my ground told the owner him and his guys are gonna kill someone if he doesn’t start changing things. His answer was to get rid of me and try to trash my name to crown and anyone who would listen. Luckily I e been around long enough that most people know better. But if this would have happened to me 8-9 years ago I wouldn’t have had a career. I’d of had to adhere to his life threatening practices and pray the lord doesn’t call me home
First off thank you man. I really appreciate you checking it out and I couldn’t agree more this needed to be done. Secondly there is so much truth in your comment here, good on you for standing up. That seems to be the standard practice in this industry and many others speak up and people want to trash your name. That’s OK because those are the decisions that keep you alive in the long run.. once again thank you for taking the time to post this comment, from one Tower hand to another whoop!
@@TroyPutman-g2gthat’s a real shame to hear.. however people do change. And I’ve straight up had mfers lie on me in this industry so I can’t speak on something I don’t know. I really hope it’s either not true or he’s changed his ways. But like I said in my previous comment it’s a big problem in the industry.
Absolutely essential workers. This is sad learning about what can happen. I inspect buildings and get on roofs daily but nothing even approaching this level of danger. These guys are unbelievably brave
Isaiah 40:31 (I thank God for your brother and his contributions and his ultimate sacrifice for helping to make America and ultimately the entire world, a much better place than how he originally found it/That's a good man right there!)
A very good doc on the tower guys. I'm a power guy and work in the building under the tower but I work hand in hand with many of the tower crews. Hats off to you guys, mad respect for what you guys do! Telecom, either on the tower or under it is in the shadows. Not many know what we do to keep all of the 4 and 5 G going for them.
Yes, I couldn’t agree more, many industries are the same. Crazy thing is though tower climbers are very few and maintain over 900,000 Tower sites in the United States. You think they would be treated a little bit better for how much weight they carry on their shoulders. Thanks for checking it out. Much appreciated.
Nicely done documentary. There seem to be some strong parallels in terms of lack of safety, training, and regulation between your industry and the tree service industry.
Thanks for checking it out, man. Yeah, one of the guys near the end of the video had a background as an arborist for about 18 years before he got into towers. I think that can be said for a lot of Industries for sure. What’s crazy about this one is the fact that Tower Climbers are maintaining over 900,000 Tower sites across the United States that people rely on .You would think they would be treated with a little bit more respect 💯
Thanks man, appreciate it! There is definitely a vast difference between broadcast and cell work in my opinion (Not to take away from the pressures of broadcast work) These cell carriers have created a push that is simply unsustainable with every advancement of technology 4g 5g etc..Needs more regulation for sure.
@@TommySchuchI will tell you this, as a tall tower climber there is an unrealistic deadline for our jobs as well. They do not give a shit about the guys in the field at all.
@@talltowerconstruction absolutely man and like I said, I wasn’t trying to take away from what the other guys in the industry go through. Yeah, man, I know a lot of broadcast guys, I used to relamp tall towers myself.
Unpopular opinion: didn’t bring up the companies’ willing and carelessness to knowingly employ active users, as well as drug use in general throughout the industry. Not one of us in the industry can say we have never gone to work with somebody high…. To say otherwise would literally be lying to yourself.
To be honest, we actually recorded an entire section on the drug side of things. Just didn’t end up using it in the final edit .You’re totally right. But it’s like a lot of construction and trades are that way and I think when the industry is more squared away, hopefully a lot of that bullshit will go away too.
Part of the reason is workers comp claims often get denied if somebody tests positive. Keeping the comp rates lower. For those that actually carry comp on the guys anyway.... Been a small crane operator for 25+ years, so I have seen similar things with the framers and iron workers. And a couple operators that carry a bowl with them. I just don't get it myself.
As someone who has been in this industry for nearly 28 years (16 of those spent climbing), I can say without a doubt that having the need to take a fucking selfie on the tower is going to lead to more deaths. As one dumbass does something dangerous, another will try to one-up him. When I am on the site talking with the crews, I always like to tell "war stories" of when I started in the mid-90s', but most are not the fun things we used to do. I like to tell the bad results of shit guys have done and I had to watch. From a guy being meth'd out and turning his thumb into hamburger while trying to stab a section, to watching a guy fall off the tower to the ground. These folks did say one thing right. Being complacent is a killer. Not having fear will get you hurt. Controlling that fear will let you get off the tower every day. As I told my guys "If you don't care enough about your own life, think about the lives of the people that have to watch you fall". Shit never leaves you.
@@TommySchuch NP. The "tech has been around for only 30" years part made me laugh. My foreman in 96' started in the mid-70s'. My boss started with Andrew before they became the Andrew we all knew in this industry before Commscope bought them out. Companies know what RF does to you, they just started caring because people started speaking out. Too many RF headaches from humping Bogners and Omnis while they were hot because they did not want to turn them down because panels were not really in use at the time.
@@towertrash96 yeah what we were referring to specifically was cellular technology. And if you go back 30 years was not very common to see someone with a cell phone, therefore did not fall under the same blanket of a 3G 4G or 5G push where multiple guys are dying. I definitely wanted to keep separate broadcast workers and anyone else not involved in the cell industry.
@@TommySchuch Oh they were there. I've had one since the 97' or so. We called them brick phones. The guys were still dying because 2G (analog...which I think we off air in 2000) was a different beast but at that time, there were no more than 5000 tower workers in the nation. It became a "problem" when the iPhone came out and ATT & Cingular merger. We were standing down about every 4 weeks because of accidents. As far as the turf vendors, you can blame Bechtel for that one. Missouri City Texas. Look that one up (7 on one). Most were caused by the tower collapsing in the 90s'. Taking out too many angles, putting too much tension on the base, etc.
Agreed sir… yet as LTE expands so does the learning curves of future mistakes. Thank you for your services and your legacy will continue through others who follow
Whoop whoop so much truth on this video. Even when it’s over and your not a climber anymore there’s never a day that goes by where you don’t miss it or a tower you pass and say I’ve climbed that and you say it with pride. Great job!!! Thank you
Hopefully you found a good company that will put you through some good training. don’t let anybody push you into unsafe scenarios. Stand your ground, too many companies put profits over safety. Best of luck to you Tommy
It’s going good! Unlike these guys I work on transmission towers not cell towers. I’ve made the most money I’ve ever made and work hard everyday. I love it!
Thanks for watching. Yes, I agree, the pain must be unimaginable for his family. thankfully, his wife has really great parents by her side. Darren Bishop is the name of the tower climber whose wife was interviewed in the video by the way ;)
Outstanding job on this. Thanks for bringing to light, a side of the workforce that not really anybody thinks about. It's pretty obvious that this industry needs some serious changes in the way it operates.
I'm a person whose afraid of heights....perhaps due to my cousins hanging me out of a 3rd story window by my ankles when I was 10. Regardless, these guys have my ultimate admiration and respect. Every time I use my phone, I think about them 1000 feet in the air.
As a fellow climber from overland contracting this was a great documentary shining light on all the discrepancies in this industry! Awesome video man! May Darren rest in peace
Tommy, I don't get on youtube or do the social media thing much but I was sent this video to check out. My hat is off to you my friend, what an absolute masterpiece. The way this was put together is nothing short of genius. I have many years in this industry and I can truly say this needed to be done. Keep it up brother.
Tears fall… When feet slip and hands fail… When a clip-in was missed… When a soul takes a long, last fall… When I’m on this device - - - When I’m feeling tall… because someone else is up and small… I can always now make a call that seldom gets “dropped”… And that is because others risk to fall . . . Much appreciation and my condolences to those who’ve suffered . . .
@@Jason-pk9wu I don’t think there will ever be any good explanation, but hopefully moving forward in the coming years better training, standards procedures, and overall awareness will help to save lives.
Amazing presentation. I got to work at Motorola Cellular engineering labs during the flip phone days in the early/mid 90s and was always fascinated by this part of the technology. Thanks for illustrating it so well. Hopefully the working conditions for you guys improve soon.
I got into the industry around 2009, I never really saw that aspect to it. I don’t doubt that at all, I’ve heard many stories. Pretty funny, you say that, though considering how most of the safety climbs nowadays are blocked by eight different carriers lines 😂
Thank you guys for the tremendous job you do. Praying 🙏🏾 for you and your families. You deserve to be compensated and appreciated for the hard work that many of us can’t do. I see these guys in the same light as tier one military operators. We don’t see what they do, but our lives are better for the job they do.
Wow! That was incredible. I want to thank all of the climbers for your incredible bravery and what you do for us all. You certainly deserve a ton of respect, compensation, etc. Stay safe and God Bless!
So, many years ago, I had the opportunity to talk with a tower climber. Being extremely fearful of heights, this guy's occupation was fascinating to me. I asked him about accidents and falling from several hundred feet. What he told me next was like a shot of reality. In essense, what he said is that the vast majority of accidents or falls result from 40 feet or less. Apparently, highly experienced climbers will often take the first 40-60 for granted by not properly following saftey protocols. Everything after 40-60 feet, all safety measures are strictly followed. The 45 minutes or so talking to this guy about climbing these towers was beyond interesting......
KUDOS on a fantastic video ! ! Reading the comments really "cranked the dials on my Wayback machine" ! (Compliments to Mr. Peabody and his kid Sherman.)(TV ...ask your parents) I started right out of high school. Two weeks in the classroom, learning basic electricity, and a couple more weeks in the pole yard, and I was out in the field as one part of a two man crew. We had at least 30 minutes of meeting(s) every Friday on safety, including safe driving of the company trucks, and work activity safety. The meetings ran longer when "lost time" incidents needed to be reviewed. This job was minimum wage, union scale, telephone lineman in 1963. We had to be part mule and part monkey, and a little crazy, but I loved it ! We climbed the poles (usually creosoted pine) without any safety strap, until we reached working level. Then we would "safety off" around the pole, and part of the pole mounted equipment, if possible. This way, if you "cut out" you would only fall the distance of your strap (a foot or so). If on the way up, or down, the idea was to push away from the pole and simply drop to the ground, hopefully with no major damage. Keep in mind that these poles were wood, cured with creosote, and had large splinters from the gaffs of previous climbers. If you hugged the pole on your way down, your front side could pick up many of those splinters, with the possibility of leaving your family jewels on some of them. Needless to say, pulling any splinters out would be painful, not to mention the following infections. The good (?) side of it was that we were rarely more than 25 feet off the ground, usually without other pole connected obstructions below. In about 15 months at this job I had a 3 day lost time injury (back muscle strain) that still hurts to this moment. Needless to say, I have the UTMOST RESPECT for anyone doing these VERY DANGEROUS jobs, especially at frequently low wages compared to the risk involved. God Bless and keep you all safe ! ! !
This is so heartbreaking. I hope Mr. Bishop knew Jesus. My heart goes out to the wife, his kids, and his parents. This is a really good video. Thank you for doing this. We all need to hear this and know about this. And thanks for the in memoriam at the end of the video: remembering all the men who have lost their lives in this industry.
I was a qualified rescue climber for the United States Marine Corps as a civil servant from 2012 to 2017. I loved climbing and working at height, but a job with higher pay became available and I applied and got it. I miss climbing and still work with the same guys, but I am now stuck behind a computer all day. We all did training regularly and safety was paramount, but even with all of the training, we still had a near miss event that could have been extremely bad. Our senior climber that had the most experience was at the ~170 foot mark on a 200 foot free-stand cell tower when he passed out and fell. I was about 20 feet directly below him when this happened. He was rigging the lines to remove a 22 foot fiberglass antenna with a 10 foot standoff. He was sweating so much that it felt like it was raining on me. Once he secured the line to the tower, he started making mistakes and couldn't figure out simple tasks. He asked me how to untie a knot and I laughed told him that it was just a half hitch and that is when he dropped his hands. It looked like he was doing it out of frustration, but he dropped a pulley and then he fell. Luckily, he'd secured his lanyard to the tower prior to making his mistakes, so his harness caught him and he swung out into the middle of the tower, hanging there, unresponsive. The guys above me were able to swing him back to the side of the tower and were able to wake him up. We were able to get him down, but that was very scary to watch helplessly from below.
Wow man, good on you guys for responding to the call. Heat exhaustion/dehydration? I had a couple of rescues over the 12 years I was in as well one I remember well was a new climber that completely locked up at at about 250ft on a guy tower..couldn’t move even after trying to get him to relax. I initiated a rescue and got him down safely. Another one was a climber was struck by a nose bag, fully loaded with tools and knocked unconscious while climbing a 200ft monopole. Both times I had rescue equipment nearby and was able to respond quickly. there are other incidents that occurred as well, in my career I remember many days being out on site without rescue kits, or even ropes long enough to do a single pitch rescue.
@@TommySchuch We all thought that he had a heart attack, but he denied that and said that it was heat related. It was very hot that day and the humidity in NC is usually pretty high. He did go to the ER that day and was out of work the next day, but he came back, like nothing had happened. Due to HIPAA, we will never know if was anything other than what he tells us. I imagine that if it were a heart attack, the Marine Corps may not have let him continue to climb, but i don't want to speculate. He is still climbing and doing well. We only climb the towers that are for our trunking system and do not travel. Our tallest is 315 feet, which happens to be the tallest that I've ever climbed. It is guyed, but the rest are free-stand and are much shorter at around 160 feet each. I did give you a thumbs up, but you guys did an amazing job on the video. It made me proud of the work that I did up on the towers. Ours didn't involve cell phones, but it directly supports First Responder radios. Thank you for the upload!
I worked for Motorola as an RF senior field technician for 30 years. I only climbed 3-4 times less than 100’. Fortunately, we had guys that did nothing but climb towers. I only did it because of an emergency communication system that needed to be resolved.
Been doing this job for a year and a half now, I love the work I do and the crew Im with has guys with 20+ years experience guiding me and helping me everyday. I hate that the carriers treat us like invisible beings that have no value and GC's & Construction Managers pushing us to get stuff done on stupid timelines that do not make sense whatsoever. I get more angry for the guys I work with as they've literally helped build out our modern telecommunication infrastructure and to hear they still struggle with money makes my blood boil. Long live every tower climber out there doing their job!
@@englishbulldog89 yeah man there is a lot of pieces to the puzzle going on, that’s great. You’re working with guys with experience. I agree with you 100% when you say it makes your blood boil, knowing these guys throw it all on the line and are not being taken care of. at the end of the day climbers must come together if we are ever to have a voice. I spent 12 years as a tower climber myself so I know exactly what you’re talking about my man. Stay safe out there, and stay tuned for part two!
@@TommySchuch They have put everything and more on the line like you highlighted. I'm 23 and the pay for me isn't good either but I'm young and am working my way up but it really really pisses me off way more for the guys I work with. This doc was very well made and I agree somehow someway our voices have to come together to be heard for those who came before and those who are coming in because we're providing such a vital service as you highlighted and the general public has no clue what we go through everyday, heck I have family that still doesn't fully grasp what I do. Can't wait for the second part and everyone please stay safe up there!
i suggest start your own union and have a fund for attorneys and healthcare. These big unions just care about making large profits and have ties with politicians.
I certainly notice the cell towers and radio towers. I am awe struck and mesmerized just thinking of what you guys go through. What's more...the size of gonads it takes to do that. I really appreciate you guys for what you do.
I have HUGE respect for you climbers. You gotta have big stones to do that work. You should get paid at least $250 hour. Putting your life on the line. I couldn't do it. Be safe.
Thank you for all this valid information I just lost my fiancé on his 3 rd day on the tower job RIP Sean Anthony Edwards We lost you to a fatal accident july 2024 You are greatly loved & missed
Great video. I worked in the industry for about 15 years, only climbed up once. The problem with the industry is the carriers. They make it too competitive where they can’t make enough profit. I know from management there’s a lot of contractors doing those jobs for a 1/4 of what they’re worth.
Thank you for this video. I have always been fascinated with cell towers and this video begins to give me an appreciation of the tower climbers and the sacrifices that they make.
I got into cell tower climbing at 53 years old. I was in great shape from being a lineman for 30 years . Getting paid $16 an hour and not recieving the promised perdiem ever and on the road always. First time rappelling my buddy showed me how to hook up the fiske descender and the backup rope for secondary safety and said get going over the side of that high rise and drill your holes for the cells in the side of the building. Over I went. No problem
Everything you men have spoken of as far as the reasons for change is exactly what has happened to the trucking industry over the last 50 years. There was a time when truckdrivers were respected but they were true professionals then. Now if it has a heartbeat and can turn the key then we will let them endanger our families and rocket 40 tons down the road and hope all goes well. I wish you luck in your efforts to change the industry, embrace the struggle and keep on truckin'.
Today is September 25 2024. One year to the day of Darren's fall. My cousin is a tower climber in California. He said this happens a few times a year. I can't imagine what his wife & kids are going through. My condolences to them & his extended family. RIP Darren'.
Tower climbers need to unionize and get paid like lineman and iron workers do. The work is just as hard if not more and typically at greater heights and exposure.
Very informative and eye-opening film, great work. I appreciate the work of everyone in the industry and beyond. Hopefully there’s a safer future ahead. I’m a high schooler interested in tower climbing with my buddy sometime down the road. I have resources available to me to get the proper training and whatnot. But what advice would anyone in the industry be willing share about maintaining relationships on the road, even if they’re climbing as well?
Good luck with your journey into this world.. feel free to reach out to Tommy, Ben or myself bud. My first piece of advice would be to steer clear of any companies that give you 1099 offers right away. Make sure you research your company that you choose to work for and make sure they have an adequate training system that has been recognized though out the industry. Listen to your instructors and Saftey trainers and watch out for your fellow climber. You guys are all you have up there and you cant depend on outside recourses to get you down if there was an emergency
I’ve been seeing a lot of comments from people saying that Tower climbers need to unionize. Tower climbers were recently being represented by the CWA (communication workers of America ). I was a founding member of the Tower climbers Union. We chartered our first local last year in Phoenix, Arizona July 4th, shortly thereafter everything fell apart. In my opinion, due to a common distrust with the union that was representing the climbers.
Link to recent article discussing this documentary/the union push among other issues. www.fierce-network.com/broadband/nobody-knows-we-exist-history-cell-tower-climber-safety
Thank you for letting me part of this documentary to all new climbers out there. Be aware of your surroundings and remember not to cut any corners double check your equipment before each use make your inspection become a habit. Stay safe whoop whoop
Absolutely brother you have many years of experience to bring to the table. Thank you for your perspective and for being a part of it. I can’t believe how many years went by since you started working with me at FCC . Great times.
Couldn’t have said it better myself! WHOOOP!
Please don't tell me you're one of those ICP clowns.
You guys have huge balls of genuine steel and I appreciate what all y'all do!!
And DEMAND MORE MONEY , like the guy said "the world would stop without telecommunications" , I think these climbers are in the driving seat when it comes to negotiating the wages , if I was them I would not maintain the towers see how long that lasts , they will beginning them back after a couple of days !
A moment of silence for all the lost tower dogs. RIP and thank you
@@Gammawatt ❤️❤️
Thanks for all you guys do!!! Im a firefighter, id rather do that than what you guys do!! And your work allows us to get the comms we need to help people!!! THANKS AGAIN! Be safe fellas!
RIP to Darren Bishop and all the fallen climbers
thank you guys for putting your life on the line for us - deep respect
The wife with the two kids is heartbreaking 💔
Stay safe men .
God Bless 🙏🏼💜
This is a very eye opening doc that casts a vivid spotlight on the inner workings of the tower climbing industry.
Much love brother, thank you for contributing your music ❤️
To all the bad ass dudes out there that do what most of us couldnt.. thank you for your service and stay safe out there.
@@Backwardstogoforwards Thank you for this comment 🤝
Thank you for watching!
Woop Woop!
Thanks for letting me help in this awesome project, hope this gives some clarity to folks!
Much love brother! Whoop!
Thank you for your service
it does - i'll never think about these towers ever the same way. thank you brother
This is amazing! Being a sister of a tower climber (Wills) I’ve lived this life on both sides of it on the road and waiting at home for my brother to get back… stay 100! Support you tower climbers!!
Thank you! Yes I couldnt agree more when it comes to staying tied off. Appreciate the comment
Great doc. As a tower climber, I feel represented. Whoop whoop
🙏🏼💯💯💯
Can you see any curvature from up there?
@@phillipgrandfield9772 Go find out for yourself.
Great video! I just got out after 13 years in the industry. This slowdown, chasing the work, working 100hrs a week, traveling. Fought the good fight, loved/hated every second of it, miss it every day. Being home with my fam is better tho.
Thank you,brother. I think you just said it best loved and hated it, I partially share the same sentiment after just about as many years. Whoop whoop!
Good job!! The traveling gets in your blood though. If I had it to do over I’d never leave my family.
That’s was my drawback I was like I would never be home
From a 12 year vet on the structural side of things I wanna say thank you for this video guys! Every part of this video hit home for me. Currently on a gin pole job taking down guyed towers. Much love brothers
Whoop whoop!
THANK YOU BROTHER! Y’all stay safe out there and bang on!
Gin poles are fun aren't they ride the lightning.
Whoop whoop.... thanks for sharing...RIP Bishop Darren you'll be remembered forever in our hearts
❤️
Woop woop. RIP to all the fallen tower dawgs. Always keep it 100 guys. We all got homes to go too. 🤙🏼
Bro can't even spell 'whoop' ! lol !
Awesome doc, im a tower climber from sweden and we have many of the same issues here. Have worked with a few companies now, and you always see the same thing you guys spoke about, where they will have some guy whose job it is to talk about how important safety is (even though hes never climbed) but then the moment money is on the line, it all goes out the window. Have multiple experiences where ive raised a concern to a manager, and the response is "Dont want to hear it, just get it done"
Wow. That doesn’t surprise me to hear that though. I have spoken with Climber from a few different countries. Some have it really bad. What we need is an international organization to protect all Climbers. Thanks for checking out the video man and I hope you stay as safe as you can.
Nigerian techs have it the worst of all
Do you see any curvature from up there?
Thank you for your service
Off track: I wonder if someone has ever got to the top and froze? You, gentleman, have my greatest respect and admiration. Please take care of yourselves. And yes, you are greatly needed and underappreciated.
Being in the HVAC industry I've been the goto guy for high places, I've had close calls but also have huge respect for heights. I'm also a HAM radio operator and have gone through tower and rescue climbing training. My climbing for anything HAM radio related is free due to my FCC license, however the Repeater Association does pay for our training / certification.
Huge respect for those who climb it's an amazing thing to be able to do. Stay safe!
Awesome man, Ive definitely climbed on the side for my local HAM buddies. Stay safe out there!
@WendySchuch
0 seconds ago
Well done, my dear brother! 👏 I am super proud of you and this great informative documentary to raise awareness about this dangerous yet crucial line of work. Let us all be more mindful and grateful for the risks you all take for us to have these modern conveniences of phone and internet. I pray you all get the compensation and benefits you deserve. 🙌😘🫶🙏LOVE YOU!! And nice job adding the song from our talented brother Stephen Schuch. #SCHUCH #TommySchuchMedia
Thank you❤️❤️ Much love to ya Wendy!
As a climber everything they said in this 100 percent true
Thank you for saying this brother 💯💯 whoop!
Thank you for your service
Great job guys. I’ve been telling some of my buddies for years now that this needs to be done. A good well done documentary would shed light on the industry. And it needed to be done by a younger group of guys who’s been around awhile. It really is a love/hate relationship ha I love the work and the camaraderie we build with one another and seeing different parts of the country. However I hate being away from my kids, I hate the trickle down sub out bs that hurts our pay, I hate the companies that hire anyone who will put on a belt regardless of true experience or their life “habits”. It hurts us all especially us guys who are passionate about our career. I pride myself on being one of the younger guys who is known for getting shit done but I’ll get it done safely. It’s easy to inspire the young kids who come in with fire in their eyes and see a guy 10-12 years older than them not only moving and kicking ass but always being safe. Safety is always first on my sites. The cut can wait. The welding inspector can wait. I’m not pushing me or my guys past reason. If someone isn’t mentally in it to keep going, etc. then the entire crew calls it together. The problem is now days these small fly by night companies get In good with crown or another big contractor because they know someone and regardless of the companys practices they’ll keep getting work until shit hits the fan. I just had a small company literally beg me to come work for them, guy literally called and text for 5 months. ( my brother worked for him and he was familiar with our work, my PM used to sub him work and vice versa) Paid me pretty good. Paid for my crown welding test and everything. Well he turned on me quickly because I come there, nobody knows shit. Riding ropes without back grabs constantly. Free climbing all over the place. None of them could tie a knot to save their lives. Only knot any of them knew was a bowline. Didn’t know how to use half their equipment. When they were tied off it would be to a hand rail or antenna pipe or hand rail. I let them know how dis pleased I was whenever they decided to send me up a 1600lb boom on a 1000lb cat head. Also didn’t want me to rig a stiff back line to help because they didn’t understand it. Well long story short two cat heads got ruined that day and that was the beginning of the end for me there. I stood my ground told the owner him and his guys are gonna kill someone if he doesn’t start changing things. His answer was to get rid of me and try to trash my name to crown and anyone who would listen. Luckily I e been around long enough that most people know better. But if this would have happened to me 8-9 years ago I wouldn’t have had a career. I’d of had to adhere to his life threatening practices and pray the lord doesn’t call me home
First off thank you man. I really appreciate you checking it out and I couldn’t agree more this needed to be done. Secondly there is so much truth in your comment here, good on you for standing up. That seems to be the standard practice in this industry and many others speak up and people want to trash your name. That’s OK because those are the decisions that keep you alive in the long run.. once again thank you for taking the time to post this comment, from one Tower hand to another whoop!
@@TroyPutman-g2gthat’s a real shame to hear.. however people do change. And I’ve straight up had mfers lie on me in this industry so I can’t speak on something I don’t know. I really hope it’s either not true or he’s changed his ways. But like I said in my previous comment it’s a big problem in the industry.
Absolutely essential workers. This is sad learning about what can happen. I inspect buildings and get on roofs daily but nothing even approaching this level of danger. These guys are unbelievably brave
Star link will eliminate all of this in the next 5years or so...
If any group needs a union, it’s these folks.
We have them in our union. Ibew 494
Well done sirs, made me a little emotional. Best piece of media ive seen regarding our industry. Whoop whoop!
Whoop!
keep seeing whoop whoop in comments , have to say a bit lost on that .
Darren was my brother I miss you so much bubby
May your brother Rest In Peace with God.
My condolences 😔
Fly high Darren
Isaiah 40:31
(I thank God for your brother and his contributions and his ultimate sacrifice for helping to make America and ultimately the entire world, a much better place than how he originally found it/That's a good man right there!)
A very good doc on the tower guys. I'm a power guy and work in the building under the tower but I work hand in hand with many of the tower crews. Hats off to you guys, mad respect for what you guys do! Telecom, either on the tower or under it is in the shadows. Not many know what we do to keep all of the 4 and 5 G going for them.
This is an eye opening document. I think there's so many industry's that are similar in so many ways. Awesome Video Tommy!!!
Yes, I couldn’t agree more, many industries are the same. Crazy thing is though tower climbers are very few and maintain over 900,000 Tower sites in the United States. You think they would be treated a little bit better for how much weight they carry on their shoulders. Thanks for checking it out. Much appreciated.
Nicely done documentary. There seem to be some strong parallels in terms of lack of safety, training, and regulation between your industry and the tree service industry.
Thanks for checking it out, man.
Yeah, one of the guys near the end of the video had a background as an arborist for about 18 years before he got into towers.
I think that can be said for a lot of Industries for sure. What’s crazy about this one is the fact that Tower Climbers are maintaining over 900,000 Tower sites across the United States that people rely on .You would think they would be treated with a little bit more respect 💯
@@godISgreat7777-xxx Troy, you have voiced your opinion. What are you trying to accomplish here?
Well done! I climbed for 35yrs. . .broadcast mostly. . . .and am dismayed by the current situation climbers find themselves in.
Thanks man, appreciate it! There is definitely a vast difference between broadcast and cell work in my opinion (Not to take away from the pressures of broadcast work) These cell carriers have created a push that is simply unsustainable with every advancement of technology 4g 5g etc..Needs more regulation for sure.
@@TommySchuchI will tell you this, as a tall tower climber there is an unrealistic deadline for our jobs as well. They do not give a shit about the guys in the field at all.
@@talltowerconstruction absolutely man and like I said, I wasn’t trying to take away from what the other guys in the industry go through. Yeah, man, I know a lot of broadcast guys, I used to relamp tall towers myself.
@@TommySchuch Basically the entire industry needs to take better care of the climbers overall.
@@talltowerconstruction Absolutely
Unpopular opinion: didn’t bring up the companies’ willing and carelessness to knowingly employ active users, as well as drug use in general throughout the industry.
Not one of us in the industry can say we have never gone to work with somebody high…. To say otherwise would literally be lying to yourself.
To be honest, we actually recorded an entire section on the drug side of things. Just didn’t end up using it in the final edit .You’re totally right. But it’s like a lot of construction and trades are that way and I think when the industry is more squared away, hopefully a lot of that bullshit will go away too.
Part of the reason is workers comp claims often get denied if somebody tests positive. Keeping the comp rates lower. For those that actually carry comp on the guys anyway....
Been a small crane operator for 25+ years, so I have seen similar things with the framers and iron workers. And a couple operators that carry a bowl with them.
I just don't get it myself.
Exactly a HUGE PROBLEM
You guys hit that right on the money!! Great video hopefully this makes a difference for all of us whoop whoop !!
Whooop!
🙏🏼
Incredible work Tommy, a world that needs to be seen.
Thanks, and I couldn't agree more.Much love Devon, appreciate it!
Hearing the struggle described so thoroughly is a gift!
Thanks for watching it man, it’s much appreciated. This needs to be heard.
“You never know what kind of life the other guy is having “
As someone who has been in this industry for nearly 28 years (16 of those spent climbing), I can say without a doubt that having the need to take a fucking selfie on the tower is going to lead to more deaths. As one dumbass does something dangerous, another will try to one-up him. When I am on the site talking with the crews, I always like to tell "war stories" of when I started in the mid-90s', but most are not the fun things we used to do. I like to tell the bad results of shit guys have done and I had to watch. From a guy being meth'd out and turning his thumb into hamburger while trying to stab a section, to watching a guy fall off the tower to the ground. These folks did say one thing right. Being complacent is a killer. Not having fear will get you hurt. Controlling that fear will let you get off the tower every day. As I told my guys "If you don't care enough about your own life, think about the lives of the people that have to watch you fall". Shit never leaves you.
@@TommySchuch NP. The "tech has been around for only 30" years part made me laugh. My foreman in 96' started in the mid-70s'. My boss started with Andrew before they became the Andrew we all knew in this industry before Commscope bought them out. Companies know what RF does to you, they just started caring because people started speaking out. Too many RF headaches from humping Bogners and Omnis while they were hot because they did not want to turn them down because panels were not really in use at the time.
@@towertrash96 yeah what we were referring to specifically was cellular technology. And if you go back 30 years was not very common to see someone with a cell phone, therefore did not fall under the same blanket of a 3G 4G or 5G push where multiple guys are dying. I definitely wanted to keep separate broadcast workers and anyone else not involved in the cell industry.
@@TommySchuch Oh they were there. I've had one since the 97' or so. We called them brick phones. The guys were still dying because 2G (analog...which I think we off air in 2000) was a different beast but at that time, there were no more than 5000 tower workers in the nation. It became a "problem" when the iPhone came out and ATT & Cingular merger. We were standing down about every 4 weeks because of accidents. As far as the turf vendors, you can blame Bechtel for that one.
Missouri City Texas. Look that one up (7 on one). Most were caused by the tower collapsing in the 90s'. Taking out too many angles, putting too much tension on the base, etc.
Agreed sir… yet as LTE expands so does the learning curves of future mistakes. Thank you for your services and your legacy will continue through others who follow
No one is dying taking a selfie if they're tied off. Quit hating.
Respect 💯 from a water utility guy retired...total respect...
Whoop whoop so much truth on this video. Even when it’s over and your not a climber anymore there’s never a day that goes by where you don’t miss it or a tower you pass and say I’ve climbed that and you say it with pride. Great job!!! Thank you
Right back at ya!
Excellent job on making the Video Tommy 👍🥇📽
Appreciate it brother!!
Awesome video. Just got out of the military and acquired my first tower job. I’m anxious to start and have no relevant experience.
Wish me luck fam
Hopefully you found a good company that will put you through some good training. don’t let anybody push you into unsafe scenarios. Stand your ground, too many companies put profits over safety. Best of luck to you
Tommy
Thanks for checking out the video. Hope it gave you a little bit of insight on what to expect.
@@TommySchuch thank you very much! I’m with a huge company in California who takes safety very seriously. So I’m sure I’ll be good!
Thanks guys!
How's it going? On the tower climbing?
It’s going good! Unlike these guys I work on transmission towers not cell towers. I’ve made the most money I’ve ever made and work hard everyday. I love it!
Excellent documentary. My heart goes out to Shane's wife and kids. I do not have the mental capacity to imagine the pain they have gone through.
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for watching.
Yes, I agree, the pain must be unimaginable for his family. thankfully, his wife has really great parents by her side.
Darren Bishop is the name of the tower climber whose wife was interviewed in the video by the way ;)
Outstanding job on this.
Thanks for bringing to light, a side of the workforce that not really anybody thinks about.
It's pretty obvious that this industry needs some serious changes in the way it operates.
Thanks for watching man!
Without a doubt reform is needed
@@TroyPutman-g2gdid you really just copy and paste the same thing? Dude grow up
I'm a person whose afraid of heights....perhaps due to my cousins hanging me out of a 3rd story window by my ankles when I was 10. Regardless, these guys have my ultimate admiration and respect. Every time I use my phone, I think about them 1000 feet in the air.
As a fellow climber from overland contracting this was a great documentary shining light on all the discrepancies in this industry! Awesome video man! May Darren rest in peace
Tommy, I don't get on youtube or do the social media thing much but I was sent this video to check out. My hat is off to you my friend, what an absolute masterpiece. The way this was put together is nothing short of genius. I have many years in this industry and I can truly say this needed to be done. Keep it up brother.
Thanks 🙏🏼
Tears fall…
When feet slip and hands fail…
When a clip-in was missed…
When a soul takes a long, last fall…
When I’m on this device - - -
When I’m feeling tall… because someone else is up and small…
I can always now make a call that seldom gets “dropped”…
And that is because others risk to fall . . .
Much appreciation and my condolences to those who’ve suffered . . .
This is a great documentary. Thank you for making it happen!
Thanks, Paul. Much appreciated.
Thanks for checking it out!
Crazy to see a documentary finally show everything wrong with the industry that I and everyone has been saying forever.
@@ericwillis5292 thanks for watching, stay tuned part 2 in the making.
Tower climbers are absolute beasts, thank you to all climbers for powering life from behind the scenes.
I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t admire Tower climbers!
All these young men, born later than me, gone, for what? It really makes you question it all. Thank y’all!
@@Jason-pk9wu I don’t think there will ever be any good explanation, but hopefully moving forward in the coming years better training, standards procedures, and overall awareness will help to save lives.
Gone too early because companies wanted to cheap out on gear and training. Very sad
@@404unknownuser very sad indeed.
Awesome video Tommy, it's people like you and the guys in this video that truly make a difference in the world. RIP to the fallen
Well done!! Stay safe climbers!! Thank you all.
Thank you, stay safe out there whoop!
Having installed a small un-guyed 80' tower I know maybe 50% of how physically and mentally demanding htis kind of work is. Big respect to you guys!
May Darren Rest in Peace thank you brother
Thanks for checking it out🙏🏼
Amazing presentation.
I got to work at Motorola Cellular engineering labs during the flip phone days in the early/mid 90s and was always fascinated by this part of the technology.
Thanks for illustrating it so well.
Hopefully the working conditions for you guys improve soon.
@@Kinann thanks for watching sir🙏🏼
I remember when they use to say "just because there's a safety climb, doesn't mean you have to use it!"
I got into the industry around 2009, I never really saw that aspect to it. I don’t doubt that at all, I’ve heard many stories. Pretty funny, you say that, though considering how most of the safety climbs nowadays are blocked by eight different carriers lines 😂
Right, it could be in bad shape so clip climb.
@@reddelw Just out of curiosity what about when you’re on a monopole and it’s against the tower owners rules to clip off to step bolts. Then what?
Thank you guys for the tremendous job you do. Praying 🙏🏾 for you and your families. You deserve to be compensated and appreciated for the hard work that many of us can’t do. I see these guys in the same light as tier one military operators. We don’t see what they do, but our lives are better for the job they do.
It’s very much tier 1 work
Wow brother, that was so well done.
Thanks for checking it out my man. Much love.
Tommy, great work. So well done ❤
Thanks sis ❤
Tommy did an outstanding job putting this all together
Thank you brother for being a part of it.
Great video man! Whoop!
Thanks brother, Whoop!!
Wow! That was incredible. I want to thank all of the climbers for your incredible bravery and what you do for us all. You certainly deserve a ton of respect, compensation, etc. Stay safe and God Bless!
So, many years ago, I had the opportunity to talk with a tower climber. Being extremely fearful of heights, this guy's occupation was fascinating to me. I asked him about accidents and falling from several hundred feet. What he told me next was like a shot of reality. In essense, what he said is that the vast majority of accidents or falls result from 40 feet or less. Apparently, highly experienced climbers will often take the first 40-60 for granted by not properly following saftey protocols. Everything after 40-60 feet, all safety measures are strictly followed. The 45 minutes or so talking to this guy about climbing these towers was beyond interesting......
KUDOS on a fantastic video ! ! Reading the comments really "cranked the dials on my Wayback machine" ! (Compliments to Mr. Peabody and his kid Sherman.)(TV ...ask your parents)
I started right out of high school. Two weeks in the classroom, learning basic electricity, and a couple more weeks in the pole yard, and I was out in the field as one part of a two man crew. We had at least 30 minutes of meeting(s) every Friday on safety, including safe driving of the company trucks, and work activity safety. The meetings ran longer when "lost time" incidents needed to be reviewed. This job was minimum wage, union scale, telephone lineman in 1963. We had to be part mule and part monkey, and a little crazy, but I loved it !
We climbed the poles (usually creosoted pine) without any safety strap, until we reached working level. Then we would "safety off" around the pole, and part of the pole mounted equipment, if possible. This way, if you "cut out" you would only fall the distance of your strap (a foot or so). If on the way up, or down, the idea was to push away from the pole and simply drop to the ground, hopefully with no major damage. Keep in mind that these poles were wood, cured with creosote, and had large splinters from the gaffs of previous climbers. If you hugged the pole on your way down, your front side could pick up many of those splinters, with the possibility of leaving your family jewels on some of them. Needless to say, pulling any splinters out would be painful, not to mention the following infections. The good (?) side of it was that we were rarely more than 25 feet off the ground, usually without other pole connected obstructions below. In about 15 months at this job I had a 3 day lost time injury (back muscle strain) that still hurts to this moment.
Needless to say, I have the UTMOST RESPECT for anyone doing these VERY DANGEROUS jobs, especially at frequently low wages compared to the risk involved. God Bless and keep you all safe ! ! !
This is so heartbreaking. I hope Mr. Bishop knew Jesus. My heart goes out to the wife, his kids, and his parents. This is a really good video. Thank you for doing this. We all need to hear this and know about this. And thanks for the in memoriam at the end of the video: remembering all the men who have lost their lives in this industry.
I was a qualified rescue climber for the United States Marine Corps as a civil servant from 2012 to 2017. I loved climbing and working at height, but a job with higher pay became available and I applied and got it. I miss climbing and still work with the same guys, but I am now stuck behind a computer all day. We all did training regularly and safety was paramount, but even with all of the training, we still had a near miss event that could have been extremely bad. Our senior climber that had the most experience was at the ~170 foot mark on a 200 foot free-stand cell tower when he passed out and fell. I was about 20 feet directly below him when this happened. He was rigging the lines to remove a 22 foot fiberglass antenna with a 10 foot standoff. He was sweating so much that it felt like it was raining on me. Once he secured the line to the tower, he started making mistakes and couldn't figure out simple tasks. He asked me how to untie a knot and I laughed told him that it was just a half hitch and that is when he dropped his hands. It looked like he was doing it out of frustration, but he dropped a pulley and then he fell. Luckily, he'd secured his lanyard to the tower prior to making his mistakes, so his harness caught him and he swung out into the middle of the tower, hanging there, unresponsive. The guys above me were able to swing him back to the side of the tower and were able to wake him up. We were able to get him down, but that was very scary to watch helplessly from below.
Wow man, good on you guys for responding to the call. Heat exhaustion/dehydration? I had a couple of rescues over the 12 years I was in as well one I remember well was a new climber that completely locked up at at about 250ft on a guy tower..couldn’t move even after trying to get him to relax. I initiated a rescue and got him down safely. Another one was a climber was struck by a nose bag, fully loaded with tools and knocked unconscious while climbing a 200ft monopole. Both times I had rescue equipment nearby and was able to respond quickly. there are other incidents that occurred as well, in my career I remember many days being out on site without rescue kits, or even ropes long enough to do a single pitch rescue.
@@TommySchuch We all thought that he had a heart attack, but he denied that and said that it was heat related. It was very hot that day and the humidity in NC is usually pretty high. He did go to the ER that day and was out of work the next day, but he came back, like nothing had happened. Due to HIPAA, we will never know if was anything other than what he tells us. I imagine that if it were a heart attack, the Marine Corps may not have let him continue to climb, but i don't want to speculate. He is still climbing and doing well. We only climb the towers that are for our trunking system and do not travel. Our tallest is 315 feet, which happens to be the tallest that I've ever climbed. It is guyed, but the rest are free-stand and are much shorter at around 160 feet each.
I did give you a thumbs up, but you guys did an amazing job on the video. It made me proud of the work that I did up on the towers. Ours didn't involve cell phones, but it directly supports First Responder radios. Thank you for the upload!
I’m currently working the NC markets and the heat here is disrespectful
My heart goes out to all tower climbers, you got bigger balls than I do!
Wow.
I see the towers all the time and wonder about the people who service them.
This is definitely eye opening. Thank you for all you do.
I am completely humbled by the men who do this work. This video really raised my awareness of who and what you do and my hats off to you!
More people need to know about this. Another example of corporate greed.
@@AtomC410 yes they do, thank you for watching
I worked for Motorola as an RF senior field technician for 30 years. I only climbed 3-4 times less than 100’. Fortunately, we had guys that did nothing but climb towers. I only did it because of an emergency communication system that needed to be resolved.
Had no idear so many have died , I'm in construction and there are risks but this is something else , respect !
Yea it’s a unique job
I did this job for 15 years straight climbed almost every single day.
Been doing this job for a year and a half now, I love the work I do and the crew Im with has guys with 20+ years experience guiding me and helping me everyday. I hate that the carriers treat us like invisible beings that have no value and GC's & Construction Managers pushing us to get stuff done on stupid timelines that do not make sense whatsoever. I get more angry for the guys I work with as they've literally helped build out our modern telecommunication infrastructure and to hear they still struggle with money makes my blood boil. Long live every tower climber out there doing their job!
@@englishbulldog89 yeah man there is a lot of pieces to the puzzle going on, that’s great. You’re working with guys with experience. I agree with you 100% when you say it makes your blood boil, knowing these guys throw it all on the line and are not being taken care of. at the end of the day climbers must come together if we are ever to have a voice. I spent 12 years as a tower climber myself so I know exactly what you’re talking about my man. Stay safe out there, and stay tuned for part two!
@@TommySchuch They have put everything and more on the line like you highlighted. I'm 23 and the pay for me isn't good either but I'm young and am working my way up but it really really pisses me off way more for the guys I work with. This doc was very well made and I agree somehow someway our voices have to come together to be heard for those who came before and those who are coming in because we're providing such a vital service as you highlighted and the general public has no clue what we go through everyday, heck I have family that still doesn't fully grasp what I do. Can't wait for the second part and everyone please stay safe up there!
@@englishbulldog89spot on brother! Thank you for your view points! Stay safe and climb on!
Hey Tommy what up bro!! Awesome video, hmu next time you’re around Yosemite. Need to get out climbing🤙🏼
@@JoshMunoz-f7r definitely my bro!!
I need in on this trip!
Bless all of you and thank you!!! RIP to all who have lost their lives making an HONEST living through this enormous task!!
Great work
Much appreciated bro
Thank you guys for this video
i suggest start your own union and have a fund for attorneys and healthcare. These big unions just care about making large profits and have ties with politicians.
Valid point.
Excellent awareness video! One saying stood out, was, when a company or owner doesn't invest in you, they don't care. True!
If technology depended on me climbing towers, there would be none!
Great video ❤
Thank you for watching brother 🙏🏼
Worked for Horizon Towers in East Texas in the early 90’s. It was fun.
I certainly notice the cell towers and radio towers. I am awe struck and mesmerized just thinking of what you guys go through. What's more...the size of gonads it takes to do that. I really appreciate you guys for what you do.
deep respect a million times over
Thank you to all tower climbers!!! A job very few are capable of doing. Thank you for all you. We depend on you.
Thanks for the video,stay safe out there. Im a roofer,I always wanted to travel around and do this when I was a younger man. Mad respect.
I have HUGE respect for you climbers. You gotta have big stones to do that work. You should get paid at least $250 hour. Putting your life on the line. I couldn't do it. Be safe.
Up easy brothers and sisters
Doing a dangerous job without thanks for us to have internet and phone calls! I salute all tower climbers! THANK YOU!
Thank you for all this valid information
I just lost my fiancé on his 3 rd day on the tower job
RIP Sean Anthony Edwards
We lost you to a fatal accident july 2024
You are greatly loved & missed
@@lynnenglish4345 I do recall this incident. I am so sorry to hear this Lynn. Sending positive energy energy your way - May he rest in peace ❤️
So sorry for your loss ❤️🙏
Carriers should watch this - they are the route of this issue. hiring anybody with a pick up and 2 dudes
Mhmm
I don't think two dudes and a pickup have a 20mil umbrella policy that would be a sub contract issue.
Carriers should absolutely see this
Great video. I worked in the industry for about 15 years, only climbed up once. The problem with the industry is the carriers. They make it too competitive where they can’t make enough profit. I know from management there’s a lot of contractors doing those jobs for a 1/4 of what they’re worth.
Thank you for this video. I have always been fascinated with cell towers and this video begins to give me an appreciation of the tower climbers and the sacrifices that they make.
I got into cell tower climbing at 53 years old. I was in great shape from being a lineman for 30 years . Getting paid $16 an hour and not recieving the promised perdiem ever and on the road always. First time rappelling my buddy showed me how to hook up the fiske descender and the backup rope for secondary safety and said get going over the side of that high rise and drill your holes for the cells in the side of the building. Over I went. No problem
Everything you men have spoken of as far as the reasons for change is exactly what has happened to the trucking industry over the last 50 years. There was a time when truckdrivers were respected but they were true professionals then. Now if it has a heartbeat and can turn the key then we will let them endanger our families and rocket 40 tons down the road and hope all goes well. I wish you luck in your efforts to change the industry, embrace the struggle and keep on truckin'.
Today is September 25 2024. One year to the day of Darren's fall. My cousin is a tower climber in California. He said this happens a few times a year. I can't imagine what his wife & kids are going through. My condolences to them & his extended family. RIP Darren'.
@@d2kids4me ❤️❤️
Tower climbers need to unionize and get paid like lineman and iron workers do. The work is just as hard if not more and typically at greater heights and exposure.
Very very true.
Retired ironworker here.
Very informative and eye-opening film, great work. I appreciate the work of everyone in the industry and beyond. Hopefully there’s a safer future ahead.
I’m a high schooler interested in tower climbing with my buddy sometime down the road. I have resources available to me to get the proper training and whatnot. But what advice would anyone in the industry be willing share about maintaining relationships on the road, even if they’re climbing as well?
Good luck with your journey into this world.. feel free to reach out to Tommy, Ben or myself bud. My first piece of advice would be to steer clear of any companies that give you 1099 offers right away. Make sure you research your company that you choose to work for and make sure they have an adequate training system that has been recognized though out the industry. Listen to your instructors and Saftey trainers and watch out for your fellow climber. You guys are all you have up there and you cant depend on outside recourses to get you down if there was an emergency
Much appreciated!