Martin County Fire Rescue crews on Saturday afternoon freed a tree trimmer who became trapped about 40 feet in the air after his lift stopped working in Stuart. Firefighters were dispatched around 1 p.m. to find the man stuck on the lift, which had stopped moving up and down while he was trimming trees in the area.
Limited access for a ladder forced crews to use a specialized high-angle rescue approach. Firefighters first removed nearby tree limbs, then used a series of high-angle rescue maneuvers to secure the man, transfer his weight and carefully bring him to the ground.
Paramedics evaluated the man once he reached the ground and determined he had minor injuries. The man declined transportation to the hospital.
Martin County Fire Rescue credited C-Shift crews from Heavy Rescue 23, Battalion 2, EMS 2 and EMS 22 for completing the rescue.