An emergency crew rescued a construction worker from scaffolding on the White House North Portico on Monday afternoon after receiving reports of an injury on site.
Dispatchers for the D.C. Fire and EMS department called for a “high-angle rescue” at the White House, according to publicly available audio recordings from the incident.
A high-angle rescue is a specialized emergency operation in which personnel respond to a person who may be elevated at a dangerous height.
Emergency personnel climbed a ladder on the outside of the White House to reach the scaffolding where the injured worker was located.
Rescue crews transported the worker down via a stretcher and a basket before placing him into a waiting ambulance, which then departed for the hospital.
The D.C. Fire and EMS department confirmed the patient was an adult male construction worker who sustained a non-life-threatening injury during the incident.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the worker’s condition following the rescue operation.
Workers at the site have been removing scaffolding and draping around the North Portico that had been in place for renovations to the columns and entrance, work that originally began in July.
The scaffolding removal is now being carried out in preparation for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to the White House on September 24.
The North Portico renovation project is one of several construction and beautification efforts that President Trump has initiated around the White House grounds and broader Washington area.
Trump made several posts on social media Monday morning featuring pictures of statues and landmarks around Washington, D.C., that the National Park Service has been updating as part of his push to “beautify” the capital.
Those efforts have included fixing fountains and gold-plating statues, initiatives the administration has publicly highlighted as part of a broader effort to restore and improve the appearance of federal landmarks.
