BANGOR, Maine — The object hanging from the rafters of the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion Monday morning was a mannequin, not a person.
The mannequin, from a distance and silhouetted against the early morning sky, could easily be confused for someone who had hanged themselves from the staging and prompted calls to police and rescue crews. It was clearly visible to passers-by on their morning commutes along Main Street.
This is part of a daylong drill being run by Production Services of Maine, which provides staging, lighting and rigging services for Waterfront Concerts. The drill is meant to simulate the rescue of a worker after falling from the rafters in a harness, according to Production Services’ Chief of Operations Mike Fischer.
Passers-by glancing at the scene couldn’t see that, however. Police and rescue officials responded to calls that someone had hanged himself or herself shortly after 8 a.m., when the mannequin, named “Randy,” was dropped to hang from its harness, according to Fischer.
“Some of them laughed, others were pissed” when they found it was part of a drill, Fischer said of the emergency responders. About 20 members of the Production Services crew were sitting on the stage, getting lessons on how to properly rescue one of their colleagues after a fall. Fischer said they have above 20 minutes to rescue someone hanging from a harness before they run a risk of death or serious injury because of the constriction of their arteries. Rescuers shoot for quicker responses to reduce the risk of injury, he said.
Bangor Fire Chief Scott Lucas said the department was notified in advance of the drill. The department still responded when the call came in, however.
“When we get a call like that, we have to respond because for all we know the training could have gone awry,” Lucas said. A ladder truck and ambulance went to the scene just a few hundred feet from the station, he said.
Bangor police were notified of the drill a month ago, but there was never a reminder sent, according to Lt. Paul Edwards. He said three or four police units went to the scene after the initial hanging report.
Production Services crews raised the walls around the stage soon after police and fire crews arrived in an effort to hide the mannequin from view. After learning proper response technique from insurance company instructors, crews will raise the mannequin, unhook him from his harness, and lower him to the ground, Fischer said.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter @nmccrea213.