Winter Tower Safety – When Icicles Attack!
In winter, ice, lots of it, frequently forms on towers. Often, this ice is out of sight hundreds of feet above the ground. When the temperature warms, down it comes – from guy wires, tower structure, and antennas! This falling ice can do great damage to tower attachments, vehicles, and structures. It can kill you! Watch this video of ice being shed from a tower in Mississippi and the people putting themselves at lethal risk just to save their vehicles. This is not the way to act under an iced up tower!
Use extreme caution under towers after an icing event. Keep people and vehicles out from under towers and their guy wires. Remember that the wind can blow huge ice chunks hundreds of feet from the tower. If you must be in the danger zone, wear a hard hat and be super alert to falling ice.
If you are in an icing zone, be sure that all coaxial and other cables to a tower are under a structural ice bridge. Ice guards over antennas and critical attachments are recommended. If extreme icing is expected, buildings should have reinforced roofs and a protective shelter should be provided for vehicles. Ground mounted systems like AM ATU’s, isocouplers, and ColoCoils® should have overhead shields. After an icing event, be sure to check all tower attachments and fix any damage.
If you have any interesting stories of ice related damage to equipment, cars, even buildings, share them in the comments section below!
