Andrews firefighter helps rescue man from water tower Published Jan. 5, 2006 By Staff Sgt. Adrianne L. Wilson 89th Airlift Wing Public Affairs ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AMCNS) -- Andrews Air Force Base and Prince George’s County firefighters rescued a man from atop a 200-foot water tower here Dec. 5. An electrical engineer with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Josh Vinson’s blood-sugar level dropped suddenly while he was doing routine water tower maintenance, said Lydia Wilson, a commission spokeswoman. Mr. Vinson’s co-workers called county 911 dispatchers, who then called the Andrews AFB fire department and notified them of the situation. When he arrived at the tower, Staff Sgt. Jonta L. Paten, a 89th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, discovered Mr. Vinson may have been in diabetic shock. The sergeant then helped Prince George’s Fire Department Company 27 bring the man down. Sergeant Paten said he helped perform the rescue because of training and qualifications he received from the Department of Defense Rescue 1 course, which covers rope and high angle rescues. Prince George’s Fire Department Company 22 also arrived to help. After climbing the 200-foot ladder to the catwalk, the sergeant said he found an anchor point to set up the descending devices and found the easiest and safest way to get Mr. Vinson down. Mr. Vinson was medically treated before being lowered to the ground. Capt. Adon Snyder, Prince George’s technical rescue team commander, secured Mr. Vinson into a basket, and Sergeant Paten and other firefighters set up the rope system. Sergeant Paten served as the basket attendant. He kept the basket from rotating and attended to Mr. Vinson. Once on the ground, Mr. Vinson was transported by a county emergency medical services squad to Southern Maryland Hospital in Clinton. He was released the same day in good condition, Ms. Wilson said.