A toolbox talk ready to deliver for foremen and supervisors. An 8 to 10 minute spoken script plus a briefing register for the team to sign.
Every climbing job needs a plan to get the climber out of the tree fast when something goes wrong. A hung or injured climber cannot wait for the fire brigade to reach them. This talk is the script a supervisor delivers so the ground team knows exactly who rescues, with what kit, and how, before anyone leaves the ground.
Aerial rescue sits under the Industry Code of Practice for Arboriculture: Tree Work at Height, and AA Technical Guide 1: Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue. The principle is simple: nobody goes up a tree unless there is a worked out rescue plan, the resources are ready, and a trained rescuer is on the ground able to get them down. A climber left hanging in a harness can go downhill fast, so speed is everything, and the rescuer's own safety always comes first. Most rescues that go wrong are jobs where nobody had rehearsed it and the ground crew froze. We sort all of that before the climb, not in the middle of the emergency.
Spoken script for the supervisor. Read or paraphrase, in order.
No climber leaves the ground until we have a rescue plan we all agree on. Who the rescuer is, what kit they'll use, how we get the casualty down, who calls 999. If we can't answer those, nobody climbs. The plan is made calm, on the ground, not shouted out while someone is hanging above us.
A climber left hanging in a harness can become a life threatening emergency in minutes, not hours. That's why we don't work the rescue out on the day. We practise it at regular intervals so the ground crew moves without having to think. If it's been a long time since anyone here did a rescue drill, tell me, because that's the gap that gets people hurt.
There is a named rescuer on every climb: a ground person who is trained, competent and equipped to climb and bring the casualty down. Not just whoever happens to be closest. That is why we never have a lone climber. Minimum two people on any climb, so there is always someone able to go up and get you.
The rescue kit is laid out and checked at the foot of the tree before the climb starts, not buried in the truck. Access line and rescue system, a sharp cutting tool, first aid kit, and a way to communicate. If you would have to run to the van to start a rescue, we are already too slow.
The job is a controlled lower to the ground as quickly as you safely can. Fast, but not reckless. Your own safety comes first every time, because a second casualty stuck in the tree helps nobody. Get to them, make them safe on the system, and bring them down under control.
Assess the casualty and, if there is any doubt, call the emergency services before you start climbing, not after. Give them the location and the access details so they actually find us, and put someone on the gate to wave the ambulance in. Losing five minutes because nobody guided them onto site can cost a life.
Treat and monitor them. If they took a fall or were hung in the harness, keep watching them even if they say they're fine, because the effects of being suspended can show up after you get them down. Keep them still if you suspect any injury, and let the professionals take over when they arrive.
Once everyone is safe and the casualty is being looked after, try to leave things as they are. Don't strip the tree, don't pack the kit away, don't tidy up. If it was a serious one it may need looking into, and the ropes, anchors and gear left as they were found tell the story of what happened. Take a few photos if you can. Getting the casualty helped always comes first, but after that, hands off until we know it's fine to move things.
The best rescue is the one you never need. That comes from a sound system on the way up: two high anchors wherever it's practical, a primary system with a proper backup, and keeping any possible fall under 500mm. Test load bearing anchors with your full body weight before you trust them. Set it up right and most rescues never have to happen.
What the supervisor should be actively spotting on walk-arounds.
Ask one or two of these at the end. Confirms attention more than a silent nod.
A toolbox talk is generic by design. It works on every site. Your RAMS isn't. Briefkit writes a site-specific RAMS for your actual job: the hazards, sequence, PPE, competencies and emergency arrangements that apply to this work, at this address, by this team. £30 per document.
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