POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Two workers were rescued after they were left stranded on a boom lift nine stories above the ground in Pompano Beach.
The man and woman were painting a condominium building when their lift suddenly lost power, stranding them in the air, Wednesday morning.
Officials said the workers were up there for several hours before they called 911.
Richard Jiemenez lives in the building they workers were painting.
“It’s very high, it’s over nine stories tall, so, yes, I can see where it’s a cause for concern,” he said.
Jimenez said he watched the ensuing rescue unfold outside his building, located off of Cypress Island Drive in the Cypress Bend Community.
“[The workers] were too far away from the rooftop to be able to safely jump on the roof,” he said.
There was a large response from Pompano Beach Fire Rescue and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Crews worked together to transfer both workers from the lift to the roof of the building using harnesses and ropes.
“It was a pretty quick rescue. We got out here probably within 30 minutes, from our arrival to getting them off the boom onto the roof,” said PBFR Battalion Chief Rob Weihs.
Officials said no one was hurt, but the two workers were shaken up a bit after being stranded for hours.
Marc Dulberg also lives in the building.
“For these guys, it’s something they do every day, and they’re trained but, you know, I wouldn;t want to be stuck up there, hanging in the air,” he said. “It’s kind of a scary thing.”
Residents said the buildings have been under repair for some time now.
What exactly caused the boom lift to lose power remains unknown. Fire officials said the manufacturer will be sending someone at some point to figure out what went wrong.
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