Submitted release

Volunteer firefighters, from the Town of Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS Department, spent the second Sunday in autumn checking out the view, from eleven flights up at 10 Columbus Boulevard, aka the ‘Candy Cane’ building.

“Sure, rappelling down a sky scraper looks cool from street level,” acknowledged Assistant Fire Chief and Canton’s Technical Rescue Team adviser Michael Krupa. “But, it’s a lot of work to set up an effective ropes system. And, it’s this prep work that will keep both rescuer and victim safe.”

Working from a dual set of 300-foot rope lines, Tech Team members rappelled down the Sheldon Street face of 10 Columbus Boulevard. “The key to this type of urban training is getting our suburban rescuers to think out of the box,” says Krupa. “When they get put into different environments, they must think creatively and that will help them in all future rescue scenarios.”

While Canton’s tallest building is just four flights, Krupa believes this urban training will better prepare Canton’s volunteer firefighters to handle emergencies. “If we can rappel from the roof of a building, we have another rescue option. It’s the same ropes set-up; whether you have a 100 foot or a 1,000 foot building.”  

The Town of Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS Department, in conjunction with other area fire departments, is considering the development of a `regional strike team,’ which would respond to the most difficult types of rescues. The strike team would provide resources and expertise to fire departments that don’t have individuals trained in emergencies, such as rappelling down tall buildings.

Doug Tubach, owner Gallery 101Main  in Collinsville, joined the volunteer firefighters to photograph the rappelling drill throughout the day. After some hands-on experience, he deemed the entire experience, “just fantastic.”

Members of the Town of Canton Fire & EMS Department’s Technical Rescue Team are: Matt Bilts; Stephen Goeben; Johnathan Gotaski; Juan Gonzalez; Michael Krupa; Steve LaPointe; J. T. Lederman; Joe Ouimette; Steve Salcedo; Rich Schyler; Brandon Shilosky; Rick Vandebogart; and Jason Wiedrich.

The Department would like to thank Wilkinson Management, which manages 10 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford, for the use of the building during the drill.