ISA offers a range of educational materials and products to help arborists enhance their professional knowledge and expertise. Every month, the ISA will feature a product or group of products. This month, ISA is featuring the Gear Check Video.
With the tree climbing competition (TCC) season in full swing, it's essential to ensure your equipment is safe, offers the best performance, and is reliable. The Gear Check Video is a complimentary resource that covers how to conduct a proper gear check for a TCC. An accompanying quiz, designed to test your knowledge and understanding of gear safety, is also available for purchase worth 1 CEU (A, T, Bp, L).
"Often people get started in the industry without a mentor to teach them the importance of gear inspection," said Alex Julius, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® and co-host of the Gear Check Video. "This video will help guide people in the direction of reading user manuals and inspecting their gear regularly."
Presented by Husqvarna, the Gear Check Video features Julius and ISA Certified Arborist® Warren Williams, both of whom hold the ISA Certified Tree Climber credential. Their extensive knowledge and experience in the field make them the perfect guides to discuss topics related to proper equipment, maintenance, and safety.
The video provides a high-level overview of personal equipment, ropes and textiles, connecting links, climbing harnesses, and some common climbing and work positioning systems used by arborists. The focus, however, is on how to select, inspect, maintain and when to retire equipment.
"A viewer should be able to walk through their gear inspection and determine how they will perform the inspection every time moving forward," Julius said. "Much like when we do our pre-climb inspection, there is not a correct answer on how to do it, but as a climber, I should walk through my method the same way every time, whether that's working from the roots up to the canopy, or the reverse."
Additionally, the video serves as a training resource for crews.
"I'd highly recommend that crews perform their gear inspections while watching the video, pause after each section, and immediately put into practice what they just learned. This will help reinforce the learning," Julius said.
Watch the Gear Check Video today!