Rob Wonfor
Rob Wonfor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1965 |
| Occupation | firefighter |
| Known for | a heroic rescue |
Rob Wonfor is a Canadian fire-fighter, best known for a daring rescue of "crane girl", a reckless thrill-seeker, who had slid down the cable to the hook of a giant construction crane.[1]
Wonfor was an acting Captain in April 2017, when crane girl was discovered.[1] Wonfor said he was "volun-told" to climb the crane, go out on the cranes boom, and rappel down to the same level as crane girl. The plan was to firmly secure her to the large hook she was sitting on, and then the crane operator would slowly lower the hook to the ground. However, the crane's operator rejected this plan, due to the risk her clothing might get caught in the hook's pulley, which could drag her body into the pulley.
So, Wonfor securely fastened her to his safety harness, and rappeled the rest of the way to the ground, with her strapped to him.[1]
Fire authorities asked reporters to allow Wonfor to get warm, after the rescue, because his core body temperature had fallen. When he was interviewed he repeatedly stated the young woman he rescued was very calm, and cooperative.[2] A police negotiator had climbed the crane, and he described him as having "a voice like Perry Como", also a calming influence. He told reporters that, during the descent, he had not chatted with the young woman, about her motives, or about how she made her challenging climb, as he wanted to focus on the task at hand -- getting down safely. He said he was looking forward to talking to her about how she made her climb, without safety equipment, as he found it challenging, with safety equipment.
Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick praised Wonfor in particular, and the City of Toronto, in general.[1] She regarded it as remarkable that, even though the City had never needed to rescue anyone from a crane, it nevertheless had people who were trained to do so.
References
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Heather Mallick (2017-05-01). "Why I love taxes — and so should you: Mallick". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
I salute both of them, Wonfor, the affable athlete, the quintessential good Canadian heading off after the rescue to tend goal in a recreational hockey league, and risk-hound Marisa Lazo who, like all 23-year-olds, thinks she will never die. Long may she think this.
- ↑
"Meet the firefighter who rescued a woman stuck on a crane in downtown Toronto". CBC News. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
Wonfor, 52, has 22 years of firefighting experience. He made the slow climb up the inside of the crane beginning at about 6 a.m ET before reaching the woman and strapping her into a harness.