The climber is ready to leave the ground. The named rescuer is feeding the chipper, the gate is blocked, and nobody has tested whether a whistle can be heard over the machines. An arborist aerial rescue plan closes those gaps before the ascent starts.
Use a site rescue card for today’s tree, crew, climbing system, work position, equipment, and property entrance. Brief it at the tree. Test the weak points on the ground. Then release the climb or stop it.
Cross-check the site rescue card against emergency procedures
Build the arborist aerial rescue plan around the employer’s emergency action procedures and the workplace-safety rules that cover the job. Review the official OSHA tree care standards and guidance (opens in a new tab) and the OSHA State Plans directory (opens in a new tab), then confirm whether federal OSHA or an applicable state plan covers the work.
The site rescue card should not contradict the company procedure. The company procedure should not be so generic that it leaves the crew guessing about today’s entrance or rescuer.
Write the arborist aerial rescue plan before releasing the climb
Start at the tree. Do not fill out the site rescue card from the truck or copy yesterday’s plan.
Identify the exact tree, the working side, the intended ascent, and the part of the crown where the climber expects to work. Record enough detail for the ground crew to picture the operation without pointing vaguely toward “the tree in back.”
A generic company procedure cannot identify a locked side gate, a loaded truck beside the tree, or the climbing system in use today. Add the site facts that turn the procedure into an operational plan.
Record the tree, system, and expected work position
Write down:
- The job address and ZIP code.
- The tree or work area.
- The side used for access and ascent.
- The climber’s access system.
- The expected crown or work position.
- The intended route back to the ground.
- Obstructions that could affect rescue access or descent.
“Oak behind detached garage, ascent from driveway side, planned work above rear roofline” is more useful than “rear tree.” Do not add technical rope instructions to this field.
If the scope includes removal, complete the property and permit check before the job, but keep permit responsibility out of the rescue record.
Match the plan to the actual climbing arrangement. If the climber changes the ascent system or moves to a position the crew did not discuss, the description is stale. Stop and rewrite it.
Walk from the street entrance to the tree
Start at the street. Walk through the entrance, along the access route, and into the work area.
Look for a locked gate, a client vehicle, stacked debris, a loaded truck, soft ground, narrow passage, or equipment that could block movement. Agree on a meeting point where the access guide can meet emergency responders.
Tell the property contact that this route must remain clear while aerial work continues. Do not give the customer a rescue role. Give them a place to stay clear and a simple instruction not to block the entrance.
Keep the rescue plan separate from the job hazard analysis
The job hazard analysis identifies job hazards and the controls used to manage them. The rescue plan assigns people, equipment, communication, access, and first actions if the climber needs help.
The documents support each other. They do different jobs. Use the arborist job hazard analysis process to assess the work, then bring the site facts that affect rescue into the site rescue card.
Do not copy the whole hazard analysis onto the site rescue card. Record only the conditions that affect rescue readiness or trigger a stop.
Designate an on-site release person
Follow the stop-work and release authority in the employer’s procedures. Name the on-site person who will check the crew, equipment, access, communication, and ground tests before releasing aerial work.
The release field needs a clear outcome:
- Aerial work released.
- Aerial work stopped pending correction.
A blank box is not another outcome. If a required person, route, signal, or item is unavailable, stop the climb.
If the release person leaves the property or is replaced, hold aerial work. Name the replacement under the company procedure, brief that person on the current plan, and record the change before work resumes.
Match the rescue approach to the planned tree work
Start with where the climber is likely to be. Then work backward through access, obstructions, equipment, and the route to the ground.
Keep the rescue approach at planning level. The site rescue card should identify the arrangement the trained crew expects to use. It should not teach rope maneuvers, cutting techniques, lowering methods, casualty care, or medical treatment.
Check access to the expected position
Ask whether the climber’s access line is expected to remain usable. If not, record whether separate access will be staged under the crew’s trained procedures.
Look between the ground, rescuer, and climber. Limbs, rigging lines, roofs, fences, electrical conductors, machinery, and stacked material can block the route. Record how the crew will protect access and rescue lines from cutting, loading, moving equipment, and the planned work.
Then look down. Identify where the climber can reach the ground and keep that route clear. If the route crosses an active drop zone or lands beside running machinery, change the production setup before ascent.
Make the job fit the available rescue capability
Compare the planned work with the crew’s recorded training and practical experience. Check that the named rescuer is familiar with the climbing system and the equipment staged for the job.
A signature does not prove competence. A quick discussion does not replace supervised practical instruction. If the planned position or system falls outside the crew’s recorded capability, change the crew, system, equipment, or work position.
Do not invent a rescue method on site to save the schedule. Production waits.
Assign emergency functions to named, available people
Write a name beside each function. Do not use job titles or phrases such as “ground crew.”
One person can hold more than one function only when the actions do not conflict. Test the assignments by asking what each person will be doing while the climber is aloft.
Name the incident lead and primary rescuer
The incident lead stops production work and puts the arborist emergency plan into action. The primary rescuer covers the planned aerial response within their training.
Record both people. If the same person holds both functions, write that down and check that the combined assignment works.
The chipper exposes weak assignments. If the rescuer is feeding it and cannot leave immediately, reassign the machine or name another suitable rescuer before the climb.
Assign the caller, access guide, first-aid lead, and ground controller
The emergency caller needs the job address, ZIP code, established emergency contact method or number, entrance instructions, meeting point, access limitations, and a working communication device. Keep those details on the ground.
The access guide meets emergency responders and leads them from the entrance to the work area. The first-aid lead works within their training and knows where the first-aid equipment is staged.
The ground controller stops machinery, clears the ground area, and keeps workers, clients, and the public outside it. State who controls the chipper, saws, rigging equipment, and vehicle movement.
Have each person say their first action aloud. Conflicting assignments become obvious when the caller also expects to leave the entrance and control the work area.
Check coverage through the whole job
Plan for breaks, crew changes, supply trips, and separate climbing operations. A rescuer who leaves the property takes the rescue coverage with them unless a suitable replacement is named and briefed.
Do not stretch one assignment across separate trees or work areas without checking access. The person must be able to stop their current task and reach the operation they cover.
If the crew allocation changes, pause aerial work. Update the names and repeat the briefing.
Stage equipment and emergency information for immediate use
Select the rescue equipment required by the crew’s trained method. Check that it matches the climbing system, expected position, access, obstructions, reach, and route to the ground.
Follow the business’s inspection and maintenance arrangements. A rescue plan does not replace those records.
Point to the equipment, not just the vehicle
Record each required item and its exact location. “In the truck” is weak when the truck may leave, the kit is buried under production gear, or several compartments look the same.
Confirm that the equipment is compatible with the climbing system and has passed the inspection required by the employer’s procedures. A missing, defective, or incompatible item stops release.
Stage the equipment where the crew can reach it without moving timber, fuel, tools, or vehicles. Point to it during the briefing.
Do not add unfamiliar equipment as a quick fix. If the planned approach depends on equipment the crew cannot use within its training, change the plan.
Put caller information on the ground
Keep the job address, ZIP code, established emergency contact method or number, backup communication method, entrance, gate instructions, meeting point, property contact, and known access limitation with the emergency caller. The climber’s phone is not the site record.
Write a short location description for the casualty area. The caller should be able to explain where the tree sits within the property, which entrance is usable, and what restriction could delay access.
For work near electrical conductors, record the verified utility condition and every restriction affecting the rescue route. Unknown or unverified status is a stop item. Before release, follow the current OSHA or applicable state-plan requirements and the employer’s qualified line-clearance procedures.
Check that the primary and backup communication methods work from their intended positions. Charge level, signal, noise, and possession all matter.
Run the aerial rescue briefing at the tree
Stand where the crew can see the tree, entrance, equipment, and machinery. Read the work arrangement aloud. Keep the aerial rescue briefing direct.
Cover these points:
- The exact tree and expected climber position.
- The climbing system and planned rescue approach.
- The incident lead and rescuer.
- The caller, access guide, first-aid lead, and ground controller.
- The rescue kit and first-aid equipment locations.
- The communication method and emergency signal.
- The entrance, meeting point, and route to the work area.
- The conditions that stop aerial work.
Have every named person repeat their role and first action. Do not settle for nods. A spoken read-back finds double-booked people, missing information, and different interpretations before anyone climbs.
If a crew member cannot explain their role, brief it again. If the assignment still does not work, change it.
Test the parts that can fail on the ground
A site test proves that the communication, access, machinery controls, and crew allocation work under current conditions. It does not prove technical rescue competence.
Keep rope maneuvers and casualty care inside competent, supervised practical exercises. Do not turn the morning briefing into improvised rescue training.
Test communication under job noise
Test the chosen voice, whistle, or radio signal with the crew in their expected positions when practical. Run the chipper or other site machinery only under normal safe operating controls, then check whether the signal still works.
Noise can erase a plan. A signal heard on a quiet property may disappear once saws, the chipper, traffic, or hearing protection enter the job.
Agree on the signal that stops production and the signal that starts the emergency response. If communication fails after ascent, stop the work and change the method before continuing.
Walk the responder route
Send the access guide from the meeting point to the tree. Check gates, turns, parked vehicles, debris, slopes, and narrow sections.
A client vehicle or loaded truck can block a route that was open during setup. Keep checking it as the job changes. Move obstructions before they become part of an emergency.
Test machinery shutdown and ground control
Have the ground controller identify the controls and state how the work area will be cleared. Confirm that the rescuer can stop their assigned production task and move to the rescue equipment.
Do not simulate hazardous actions. The point is to expose conflicts. If stopping one machine leaves another uncontrolled, rewrite the assignments.
Record what was tested, what failed, and what changed. A checked box without a result tells the next supervisor very little.
Record the release on one site rescue card
Use one site rescue card instead of adding a separate tree climbing rescue checklist. Keep it short enough to complete beside the tree.
Copy this blank card and adapt the field labels to your controlled documents. Do not fill the planning fields with technical instructions outside the crew’s training.
ARBORIST AERIAL RESCUE PLAN — SITE RESCUE CARD Job / work order: [reference] Job address: [street, city, state, ZIP code] Property entrance and meeting point: [location and gate instructions] Route to work area: [directions and access obstructions] Tree / work area: [exact identification] Working side and expected position: [side and crown position] Climber: [name] Access or climbing system: [system in use] Planned trained rescue arrangement and expected descent route: [planning-level description] Rescue access and route controls: [separate access, line protection, obstructions, ground reach point] Electrical conductor status: [verified condition / unknown or unverified — STOP] Qualified line-clearance procedure checked: [procedure and authorized person / not required] Current OSHA or applicable state-plan requirements checked before release: [yes / STOP] Incident lead: [name] Primary rescuer: [name] Emergency caller: [name] Access guide: [name] First-aid lead: [name] Ground controller: [name] On-site release person: [name] Rescue equipment required by the trained method: [items] Compatibility with climbing system: [confirmed / STOP] Inspection status: [passed under employer procedure / defect — STOP] Missing rescue item: [none / item — STOP] Rescue equipment location: [exact location] First-aid equipment location: [exact location] Crew communication method and emergency signal: [method and signal] Established emergency contact method or number: [actual method or number] Backup communication method: [actual backup] Caller information location: [exact location] Ground tests completed: [ ] Communication tested under site conditions [ ] Access route walked [ ] Equipment locations pointed out [ ] Machinery shutdown and ground control checked Defects or failed checks: [write each failure] Corrective action: [what changed and who did it] Stop conditions for this job: [specific triggers] Crew briefing completed: [names / record] Release decision: [ ] Aerial work released [ ] Aerial work stopped pending correction Released or stopped by: [designated person] Record time: [time]
Mark failures as stop items. Do not leave failed fields blank or convert them into notes for later.
Stop, revise, and brief again when the job changes
The arborist aerial rescue plan belongs to the work arrangement that was briefed. Change the arrangement and you may change the rescue.
Stop aerial work when:
- The named rescuer or another required person becomes unavailable.
- A crew member changes role or leaves the property.
- The climbing system changes.
- The climber moves to an unbriefed work position.
- Weather or visibility changes the work arrangement.
- A limb failure or newly found defect changes the tree condition.
- Rigging, timber, machinery, or a vehicle blocks access or descent.
- The property entrance or meeting route becomes blocked.
- The agreed communication method stops working.
Bring the job to a safe pause. Rewrite the affected fields. Stage any changed equipment. Repeat the role read-back and ground tests that the change affects.
Record what changed, what failed, what corrected it, and who received the revised arborist aerial rescue plan briefing. The record does not need a story. It needs a clear trail from failed check to corrected plan.