Tower Dogs
July 19th, 2008 - 3:11 pm
In case anyone has ever wondered what Lin has been doing for work for a decade-plus (can’t remember exactly how long, that’s how long it’s been), you’ll get your chance to find out Monday night on Dateline.
An upcoming “Dateline Presents” takes a never-before-seen journey into the perilous world of the tower climbers who work on the frontlines of America’s high-tech communications system. They scale heights of up to 2,000 feet, in all types of weather, to install, maintain, and upgrade cell phone, Internet, and broadcast towers coast to coast. And according to figures cited by OSHA, these so-called tower dogs have the highest death rate per capita of any occupation in the country.
Being a boss-like person, Lin doesn’t climb regularly anymore. I did recently get certified as a rescue climber, which involved climbing up and bringing someone pretending to be injured down safely, so he isn’t totally out of the climbing arena, but he’s not up on towers every damn day like he used to be. Thank heavens, I say. See that bit in bold up there? Stress for him and stress for me too — made worse by the fact he was often hundreds of miles away from home. I used to worry so much about him†.
I know he knows what he’s doing, and being as safety-minded as he is, I knew he was going to make sure he and everyone else would be as safe as possible, but shit happens and people die. There are hundreds of ways to die in that field, and none of them are peaceful and quiet. We’ve known some climbers who have died, and let me tell you, that adds some stress to both workers and their families when it happens. After all, everyone else will be right up on the towers again the next day, sometimes the very same tower, but life and work have to go on.
And the name “tower dogs”? We don’t know where that is used, but it isn’t around here in Texas anywhere. I guess we’ll find out about that term on Monday night. We just call them tower hands or, sometimes, climbers.
It’ll be an interesting look into something I doubt many people really think about too much. Deadliest job in America and necessary for everyone to have their communications bells and whistles, and in the end, it’s quite a thankless job. So check your local listings and watch it!
Footnotes- † Not that his not climbing regularly makes the stress all that much less. Construction sites, in and of themselves, are dangerous places, and anything involving heights and heavy metal is very dangerous indeed. You don’t want to know the effects of a wrench falling hundreds of feet and hitting something or someone, in other words. [↩]
37 Responses to “Tower Dogs”
To whome it may concern,
Hi I’m Daniel Walther from Long Island New York. I am almost thirty years of age and I currently own and operate my own tree and landscape service. My favoraite part of my business is the tree care end and most specific the climbing end of it. I have been recently researching other opportunities that are out there for me off of Long Island. I have always wanted to become a tower climber and was wondering if you could help point me in the right direction in order to get started. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Daniel C. Walther
i am a novice or apprentice tower dog, as you like it. what a wonderful experience to be so far from the earth! what a sight! not only that, but you get to tell chicks you have the most dangerous job in america! lol!
I am a tower dog and this show scared my kids badly
I thought it was a great show. We would have liked to see them explain a little more what it is that gets done on these towers and how that helps people communicate (’cause I don’t think people really get that), but it was a great human interest story … like a slice of my husbands life.
It scared my mom too. I guess she’d never really sat down and thought about what my husband has been doing for the last 15 or so years. Well, she knows now, and she’s freaked out. I can imagine it would freak someone’s kids out too. I’ll admit to crying at the end of the show when they talked about the one guy dying. Not like I don’t know it’s a possibility every day (there have been deaths in our area and people my husband knew), but I usually try not to think about it and just trust my husband and his guys stay as safe as they can and everything else is out of our hands.
check it out, y’all. the guy who died in indiana whose funeral was featured on the show made one last mistake. remember the owner of the company saying “i believe if he was following industry standards, this accident would never have happened.” turns out he was right. guy was repelling down the monopole. this is a serious safety violation, and while i would perform such a maneuver in a heartbeat on my own time, i would never undertake such a thing on the job. so let’s attribute this to a careless mistake that cost him his life, and not to the job i love to do every day.
We caught that bit about “following industry standards” too. My husband has been on his guys recently about wearing their damn hardhats at all times on site. It’s a requirement, not an option. One small thing dropped from a height can seriously injure you or kill you, and stuff does get dropped occasionally. Accidents happen. Hell, I have my own hardhat now, so when I visit a site, I don’t have to hope there’s a spare lying around or go without, and if I don’t have it with me, I don’t get out of the truck.
But yeah, repelling down the side of a monopole would be stupid. I have little doubt that anyone pulling that on my husband’s watch would be grounded, if not flat out fired. He’s a hardnose about safety, going above and beyond industry standards on some things, which is why his crews have a fantastic safety record (which I hope holds out forever — knock on wood)). The rules and standards are there for a reason, even when they may seem to be a bother or silly. They keep people as safe as possible in a very dangerous environment, and it really only takes one small thing going wrong to end a life.
100% tie off is my motto.
It was interesting to see the job I do on TV. 100% tie is a great motto and should be a way of life. I work for MTS a tower service company based in Maryland. We have a job coming up in DC that involves paint removal on a 380′ four legged self support tower. It will require us to repell. The bad thing about the show is this…. now we get phone calls from knuckle-heads that say “I want to be a tower dog”. They just don’t know.
lol! need an extra climber on that job?
The bad thing about the show is this…. now we get phone calls from knuckle-heads that say “I want to be a tower dog”. They just don’t know.
Ha! My husband was complaining about that this week too. Suddenly everyone want to climb towers, and none of them know the first thing about it … other than that it looked cool on TV. Sure, it looks cool in TV. In fact, it is very cool and an exciting job, if you are into it. It’s also not nearly as easy as most of the people calling him now think it is. I think he’ll be glad when this blows over and he’s not getting a bunch of people calling every day wanting to be a “tower dog”.
And personally, I’m just getting tired of the “tower dog” moniker. It wasn’t a term in common usage around here, and now it’s just everywhere! Though it is really great that people are a little more aware of the industry and what those folks up on towers are doing and what it takes to do it. Sure beats the blank stares I used to get when I told people “They build and service communications towers,” which I’ll admit does sound a little more boring than saying “They are tower dogs.”
woof!
this is too much! lol!
It sounds like fun but I’m sure that having tired/numb fingers and a several hundred foot drop below you isn’t.
i watched tower dogs and was shocked to hear that earnie only made 14 bucks an hour.is this correct?
$14/hour is in the usual pay range. Maybe a little lower than guys who have been at it a while and who don’t cause their employers problems. It’s not an extremely well-paying job per hour, but most of the guys get lots and lots of hours and overtime during the busy season.
Considering the hazards though, most would think it would pay better. Some of my friends were stunned by that too, and I asked them why they thought we were always so damn broke when the weather was crappy during the winter. If you aren’t working, you aren’t getting paid!
And it is hard on the hands, which is one of the reasons Lin doesn’t climb so much anymore. He’s not exactly a spring chicken (but don’t tell him I said that), and he’s been doing stuff like this pretty much his whole life.
thing that gets me is the ironworkers have yet to grumble publicly about non-unionized work occurring. please dont misunderstand, i am happy that i dont have to deal with all that union b.s., but i wouldn’t mind a few bucks more an hour myself…
is there a union?seems to me with the hzards involved 25hr is more realistic.it is cool saying u do the most dangerous job.that better impress the babes cause the wallet isnt.i feel u dogs are underpaid considering the danger and lack of stable social life.i’m a beach lifeguard and we too get paid squat but the fringe bennies rock.u guys be safe and rock on.it is a ballsy ,cool job
If you check online being a tower dog is not the most dangerous job. What I do is roofing that is on the list of most dangerous jobs stop telling everyone about the bullshit tower dog, ax men, ICE ROAD jerk offs.
A subtle warning from your hostess, civility is expected and required of all guests.
Sorry if what i wrote THE truth offended someone if you think what i said is wrong check 10 Most dangerous jobs online. I just think if u say something you should tell the truth. Not 2 say that the job is not dangerous but the shows are not truthful in the least bit
maybe with all those deaths in a short period of time the numbers just work that way for that time.if the prez were to have a tragic accident in the blue room would that be the most dangerous job?100% deathrate.we all know the danger is at the post office
shane…go carry some shingles there, you big dangerous roofer you. lol.
Sorry I missed the show. In Baltimore there is this one gigantic tower, stands @1100 feet, a real monster. I knew people had to paint them, and replace lights, and add microwave antennas etc, but there is this other job that is down right scary.
Attached at different heights of the tower and running to the ground are what I call guide wires. These wires have to be 1″ or better in diameter, and periodically they have to be inspected, and greased to compensate for the expansion, contraction and swaying. The grease has to be applied by hand, which means someone has to attached themselves to the wire by means of a safety a harness and work their way from the top to the bottom. Now heights don’t normally bother me, but just thinking about that makes my hands sweat. It really does take a certain type of individual to work on these towers.
I like many Americans watched this program in disappointment and fear for the safety of the crews. As a wife and part owner of a tower company that has been around for more than 10 yrs and has an exceptional safety record. I was disgusted at the way this company and its crews were ran. I really believe that this sent a bad impression of our business to the public. As well as every insurance company around. It seems like they just picked the most dysfunctional company just for good T.V. I really wish they would have done their research a little better! There are many tower company’s out there that do not run their business in such an unprofessional manner. I think this program should shown the bravery, fearlessness and intelligence of the crews out there. These are crew members I have had the pleasure to be around.
Brigid, there are, unfortunately, more companies out there like the one in the show than the one you run and the one my husband works for. It’s a shame that’s true, but it is.
First of all. a job is only as dangerous as you make it or allow it to be. As I stated before, I am a tower climber, ” tower tech” is what I prefer. Anyway, Shane, I could care less what is the most dangerous job in the world, nation, or next door. You can die tonight as you slip out of the shower. So then what. And roofing lol, son, I am 39 now. I have worked in commercial and residential construction from the ground up. I have been a union ironwork for Local 16 in Dundalk. I have worked on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. And finally, I am a tower climber. Everything I have done in life has been dangerous in one form or another. I dont care. Never been hurt in anyway serious. Yeah I have had cuts and stuff, but never missed a day or a beat. Once again it is as dangerous as you let it be. Hell, I could have died yesterday welding. Was sweating heavy, and I got the crap shocked out of me. Here I am though and just got back from a 280′ climb. Just to change a damn strobe lol. Oh and Shane, please don’t try to take anything away from this job that we love so much. It is so hard freaking work. If you don’t think so….. I want to see you suit up and climb just a 250′ tower. No tools, just you, the harness, and the tower. FEEL THE BURN!!!! OK I am done lol.
Dundalk? How does somebody from Dundalk find their way onto Just Orb? LOL.
At Dundalk Marine Terminal there may 8 or 10 of those massive container cranes. I think they can lift maybe 50 tons, maybe more. The cranes are tall enough that the boom which lifts the container off the ship is taller than the tallest part of the ship. So I guess the from the boom to the water is maybe 120′. This boom is wider than your body, and I am not entirely sure why we did this, there was more than one fool that day, but we decided to climb out on the boom to get a better look around. Your out there about mid way, you stand up, look down and things take on a different prospective. That was all I needed, as I quickly scurried back to the safety of the control booth. Thank God for people like you and Lin to keep those towers up and running and my cell phone operating.
You must be talking about the cranes at the Port of Baltimore. Not from Dundalk lol. Actually live on the eastern shore, Cambridge. Anyway, I was up at the Port last Saturday. Had to move some communications around for that very terminal.
Charlie As such a smart guy u went form a union iron worker at 35.00 an hour to 14.50 an hour you must of sucked to not still be an iron worker. And as far as the 250′ tower climb. Me and the owner of the company i work for climbed to the top of a 200′ tower by our house when we were teenagers. NO harness BITCH. The job is for children that why they pay you like children
First of all you don’t know all about union work. I did not make 35 an hour. It was 26.73, and all the work was at least a 2 hour ride from my house. So now, yes I make less an hour, but I still come out the same. The company I work for now is 10min. from my house and I get paid travel and everything over 8 hours is overtime. So, I am good. As far as Ironworker skills, the Union Pres still calls me to see if I want to work. But who cares, I have nothing to prove to a roofer. Been there done that and it is mostly Mexicans now anyway. Oh, the climbing part…. well you just don’t get it so I will not bother. However, if you care to try it. Have a 400′ I have to climb sometime soon in Md. You want to carry my tools up there some I can change the strobe box out. Never mind, no need to answer, I don’t need some young punk that does not know what he is doing up there. You just stick to the roofing job lol.
By the way ORB, sorry about this post. Had a bad day, Young kid froze on the tower today. Reminds me of Shane. He talked all kinds of crap, but could not handle a monopole. Guess he too will go back to roofing.
roofers are just climbers that couldn’t make it to the top of the ladder. lol!
As long as people are doing a good job, doing a legit career anyway, then they deserve to be respected for what they do.
No matter how dangerous it is perceived.
Cambridge. Lucky person. I haven’t been to Cambridge in years. It use to be this picturesque little village sitting right on the Chesapeake Bay. Very charming and great sea food! Just a nice place to spend some quiet time and get away from it all
Orb if you ever travel north, you need to check out Cambridge on MD’s eastern shore.
Cambridge has been on my list for a while. I think the next time we make one of our trips up north, we’ll take some time to make it to all the places up there we’ve been meaning to get to (or meaning to get back to).
On topic: I’m glad there are roofers, and I am glad there are tower hands, because I like having a roof, and I like having a cell phone … and I wouldn’t want to do either of those jobs (being a serious wuss about heights). Everyone has to do something for “work” and if they are lucky, it’s something they enjoy (even if it pays less than something else — enjoying it is always a benefit). Like I said, just glad I don’t have to do these things, and I’m glad that Lin enjoys his work (mostly — ha).
Cambridge is OK I guess. I grow up in Easton,MD a short distance away. I would suggest that spot to visit over Cambridge, or maybe even St. Michaels. However, I don’t know what you are looking to see or do. If it is hunting or fishing, but are great places. Dorchester County is the best place in the nation if you are looking to bag sika deer. Must be a that marsh land. If you are into golf and spas, then there is the Hilton Golf Resort here in Cambridge. Just let me know what you are looking to do and I can point you in the right direction for the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Back to the “tower dog” thing lol. You know, I kindof like the name now. Found a website for it. If for some reason no one knows it; it is http://www.towerdog.com . Anyway, I find it somewhat cool now when someone ask, hey what you do for a living? Now I can say I’m a tower dog.
Damn just started reading my post and noticed a typo in the second sentence. Geesh, need to shower and rest. Rag me if you want lol. Been a long boring day. stood atop a 250′ for several hours while the ground crew ran checks on the antenna and coax. I’m done lol.