Vegetation release from conductors
Fallen trees or branches which are resting on the wires can present significant additional hazards if the rescue crew are required to cut them free to perform the rescue .
For example , if an arborist was working in a tree which failed and became hung-up on the conductors , the rescue crew must take great care that any cutting they perform on the tree does not cause it to be released .
Vegetation which is forced against the conductors for any reason , and then is suddenly released , can be thrown a significant distance by the recoil of the wires .
Vegetation management crews releasing hung up vegetation from wires will usually rope back the conductors or the vegetation to a suitable anchor to prevent any sudden release , before performing any cutting work to free the hungup tree .
These techniques would not normally be required of rescue crews and will not be described here . It is important however for rescue crews to be aware of the potential risks of vegetation release , and to avoid any cutting or loading which could cause that release during rescue of an injured tree worker .
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