Kathy Gill, CEO, and founder of Tower Safety and Rescue Training is passionate about providing safety for tower climbers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Kathy has been in telecom since she was 18 and is the second generation of her family to do so, with her dad providing an opportunity to work outside plant and central office for AT&T. Years later, Gill started a wireless construction company and noticed many climbers had little to no previous training. “I was compelled to change that mindset and provide quality training to keep climbers safe and understand the ‘Why’ we need to learn safety.”
Providing exceptional training in safety and rescue is a 24/7 commitment for Gill and her team. “We are available seven days a week and create flexible schedules and overall safety dedication to both contractors and employees,” said Gill.
Tower Safety offers both online and hands-on training at its Phoenix campus. Kathy also travels throughout the country to customer locations. Equipped with various construction equipment used for training, “Our campus is pretty cool,” said Gill. “It is built for rope access with 16’ – 70’ towers plus a 40-foot drop tower for drop protection tests, confined space prop and a quality course. We also have an 85-foot aerial lift truck for additional training scenarios.”
The instructors at Tower Safety have worked in the search and rescue, R&D for rescue equipment, and fight fires on the side — they understand the hazards a tower crew may face daily. Tower Safety focuses on tower rescue, rigging techniques, trusting your gear, and the personal responsibility of being safe. Its training empowers individuals, enabling trainees to do whatever it takes to return home safely every day. “Our training challenges clients to think about, act on, and value safety in ways that impact their lives,” said Gill.
Tower Safety focuses on three crucial safety behaviors:
- LEAD – Being aware of unsafe conditions and acknowledging potential hazards.
- LEARN – Understanding and making necessary changes.
- LIVE – Inspiring and coaching co-workers to perform safely.
Gill recently completed a portable Field Operations manual to keep climbers and owners safe while on the job. Streamlining outdated, contradictory and cumbersome telecommunications rules, regulations and guidelines, Gill’s manual was a labor of love. “I’ve taught hundreds of courses over the years and have heard stories both inspirational and heartbreaking about experiences tower climbers have faced when it comes to safety situations.
I finally decided it was time to take my passion and dedication for safety to the next level and set about creating a manual,” said Gill.
In addition to the resources offered by Tower Safety, the company’s courses include:
- NWSA
- Authorized Climber/Rescue
- Competent Climber/Rescue
- First Aid + CPR
- OSHA 10-Hour
- OSHA 30-Hour
- RF Awareness
- Train the Trainer
- ANSI 10.48 Competent Rigger
- Confined Space Entrant
- TIA Introduction Course
- SPRAT
- Online Courses
Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Tower Safety provides year-round training for climbers nationwide. For more information on Tower Safety or to contact a representative, visit towersafety.com.
