Tower = climbers keep your cell phone working - Independent Tribune

CONCORD - The next time you get frustrated with your cell = phone,=20 consider this: Were it not for a dedicated corps of workers = willing to=20 scale the mammoth towers dotting the nation, the device in your = hands=20 might never function.
Other than a fearless attitude and the = physical=20 and mental agility required to nimbly navigate around unexpected=20 complications while suspended in the sky, those in the profession = said=20 tower climbers also need to adapt to a demanding lifestyle.
The = public=20 tends to minimize the effort that goes into maintaining and = repairing the=20 high-tech structures we see extending skyward, said Richard = Dekappelle,=20 safety director for Concord-based tower climbing company = Professional=20 Resources & Services.
"It takes a special breed of people," = said=20 Dekappelle. "It has to be in you."

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Work demands adjustments in life, on the job
Driven by=20 population trends, demand for such challenging work has = concentrated in=20 the Southeast, said officials at PRS, a 12-year-old firm that = sends=20 climbers throughout the region and across the country to respond = to=20 natural disasters or wireless providers' push for more=20 customers.
Climbers must be flexible enough to adjust both to = uncertain=20 job schedules and the unknown problems and conditions they may = encounter=20 while installing antennae or fixing lighting systems anywhere from = urban=20 rooftops to wooded mountaintops to open plains.
Dekappelle and = fellow=20 industry veteran Robert Langevin said they have worked on towers = damaged=20 by gunshots and coated in ice, as cropdusters buzzed past in = threatening=20 proximity and as angry birds attacked. Most towers, they said, = sway back=20 and forth in the breeze.
On the road, climbers can spend 12 to = 14 hours=20 a day together, rooming with one another for weeks at a = time.

Deliberation, concentration can diminish danger
Under those=20 conditions, climbers must be able to plan ahead and trust each = other,=20 Langevin said, leaving any personal disagreements on the = ground.
"If=20 you step on a piece of steel that's rotted, you're taking your = life in=20 your hands," said Langevin, PRS' program manager. "If you're not = scared=20 when you're up there, there's a problem."
The highest tower in = the U.S.=20 is about 2,200 feet, but Dekappelle and Langevin said most of = their work=20 is done at 500 feet or below. Average cell phone towers range from = 120 to=20 250 feet.
Adding to the danger, most of the necessary skills = can only=20 be learned on the job.
"You can't go to school and become a = tower=20 climber," said Dekappelle, a 35-year-old mechanical engineering = technician=20 who knew he had a knack for climbing when he once shimmied onto a=20 neighbor's roof after an errant lawn dart.
Since its peak in = the early=20 1990s, federal and state authorities have increasingly regulated = the=20 industry, which began with the rise of AM radio about 90 years = ago, PRS=20 officials said.

Business brings competition, responsibility, = satisfaction
But=20 business remains fiercely competitive.
Depending on = fluctuations in=20 market and season, PRS employs between 12 and 45 people from its = brick=20 office on Webb Road.
In the back, an adjoining warehouse is = stocked=20 with shelves of light bulbs, insulated cable, satellite TV-sized=20 electronic dishes, all kinds of metal tidbits and other tools of = the=20 trade.
On the floor, canvas bags contain the 30 to 40 pounds of = safety=20 gear climbers must don before they clip in using the carabiners = that tie=20 them to their stations at all times.
The kits include a hard = hat, a=20 full-body harness, several straps used for positioning and a = bungee-like=20 cord designed to stop a fall.
Climbers also must haul hefty=20 responsibilities, Dekappelle said.
But the job is always = changing and=20 can provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment. Langevin, 40, = said he's=20 enjoyed traveling and taking in some spectacular vistas.
"You = can=20 admire some beautiful scenery from up there," said Langevin, who = has spent=20 eight years in the business after learning some technical skills = in the=20 military. "I don't think I've ever been on a tower with a bad = view."
?=20 Contact Josh McCann: 704-789-9152