BENTONVILLE -- Joey Cameron was 1 second too late.
Cameron, who works for Integrity Tree Care of Fort Worth, had 5 minutes to rescue a dummy from a tree Saturday in the Natural State Tree Climbing Competition.
His time: 5:01.
"I missed it by a second, said Cameron.
In that scenario, the dummy was a co-worker who had unclipped his line, then slipped and fell. The dummy was left hanging by a lanyard attached to his safety belt. Cameron had to climb a rope to the victim, secure him and safely lower him to the ground in 5 minutes.
Thirty-four arborists from nine different states -- including nine arborists from Arkansas -- gathered Saturday near the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for the competition, which will continue today.
"These are industrial athletes," said David Raines, chairman of the event. He owns Raines Tree Care of Rogers.
Besides aerial rescues, the competition Saturday included:
• Throwline, in which contestants throw a line to hit targets in a tree, then install climbing lines.
• Open ascent, a timed 50-foot climb.
• Work climb, where competitors move through the crown of a tree and perform tasks.
All of these things must be done in a timely manner.
"All of these things are what we do every day with the exception of aerial rescue," said Raines.
Arborists can get an injured person out of a tree faster than emergency medical technicians can, he said.
"If you're waiting for EMTs, it can take 2 hours," said Raines. "In that amount of time, the climber is not going to live."
William Briscoe of Plains, Ga., also timed out before he could rescue his dummy, who was having an asthma attack.
"In this scenario it was asthma," he said. "It could be a chain saw cut where you've got to get them down."
Several competitors said their day jobs are fun. They climb trees for a living and swing from ropes.
"It's fun until you pull out the big chain saw, or it's windy or power lines are in the way," said Darin Salas, owner of Ddl Tree Services in Denver.
Raines said this is Arkansas' first tree-climbing competition, and it's hoped it will be an annual event from now on, held in different parts of the state. He's not sure yet where next year's competition will be.
The open ascent consisted of a 50-foot climb up a rope attached to a crane, where the climber then rang a bell.
E.J. Turner of House Springs, Mo., said it took him 14 seconds to make the climb. Normally, it takes him 20 seconds to climb 50 feet, but special gear was allowed on his boot at the Bentonville event that allowed him to ascend faster without slipping a little back down the rope.
"Our main thing is safety," said Raines. "It's all about education and improving. They do an extensive gear inspection the day before the event."
Raines said many rock climbers get into tree climbing because of the similarities, but there are many differences, too. Even the rope is different, with the tree-climbing rope having less give, or springiness, than a rock-climbing rope.
"For many rock climbers, this is a great way for them to make a living and be off the ground," said Raines.
Star Quintero of Houston was the only woman among the 34 competitors in Bentonville.
Quintero's mother was an arborist
"I'd grown up pruning with my mom on the ground, but I'd never climbed until college," said Quintero.
As a landscape management major at Brigham Young University, the practicum allowed students to get tree-top experience.
After getting comfortable in the trees, Quintero was hooked.
"I loved it," she said.
After college, she had some regular jobs, including working at a Banana Republic store. But two years ago, she started working full time as an arborist.
"It's a whole different view and perspective up there," she said.
The competition, which is free to the public to watch, will continue from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at 1107 NE J St. in Bentonville.
The top scorers of the preliminary events Saturday will compete to determine the champion today. The contestants today must install a climbing line, complete simulated work events in the tree and return to the ground in a specified time limit. They will be judged on their knowledge of climbing techniques, use of equipment, safety, poise, continuity and overall productivity.
The competition is sponsored by several entities, including the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council, the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Arkansas at Monticello School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Metro on 05/06/2018