VSS313 Competent Climber Rescuer

Prerequisite: None Required

Recommended:Fall Protection Authorized User and Tower Climbing Safety   

Class Cost: $975
Class Limit: 8 Attendees
Class Duration: 2-days 16 Hours

For companies with four or more participants we offer exclusive private training at our facility. This allows for a more personalized environment tailored to your company’s specific safety culture. Contact us for available dates.

Competent Climber Rescuer is tailored for experienced climbers with a foundational knowledge of PPE and fall protection systems. This course is designed for Crew leaders, site supervisors, safety representatives, lead climbers – or any individual an employer intends to designate as a competent person under safety and training regulations.

Our classroom sessions equip participants with the critical knowledge to identify, evaluate, and mitigate hazards associated with work at heights. This is reinforced by hands-on training with harnesses, connectors, and anchorage systems, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of every component within a personal fall arrest system.

Our intensive on-site practical training empowers students to safely execute tower climbs, identify site-specific hazards, and master diverse rescue scenarios. Upon successful completion, the Competent Climber/Rescuer is qualified to oversee the work and safety of Authorized Climber personnel.

Successfully completing this course secures your Competent Climber Rescuer’s eligibility for future 1 day recertification training. VSS313R Recertification course provides the path to long-term compliance, allowing you to manage and schedule refresher training whenever your internal safety protocols require it.

This course utilizes a blended learning approach, combining classroom lectures and visual presentations with hands-on demonstrations and practical field applications. Students receive comprehensive reference materials, including relevant regulations and safety guides, to support their training and serve as a resource for future use.

Students are expected to be fully attentive and actively participate in all learning activities. This is a fast-paced course with minimal downtime, designed for maximum information retention. Certification is based on a written exam covering all classroom material and a practical field evaluation where students must demonstrate the effective application of techniques in full regulatory compliance.

Documentation is awarded based on performance. Students who successfully complete the Authorized Climber segments but do not meet the advanced requirements for Competent Climber Rescuer will receive certification at the Authorized level. To ensure student success, we strongly recommend enrolling employees with no prior fall protection experience in our foundational courses. VSS101 Fall Protection Authorized User and VSS201 Tower Climbing Safety

Expiration Dates

At Vertical Safety Solutions, we align with the regulatory rule for retraining (CFR 1926.503(c)(1-3)). While other training providers or third party entities may require annual or biennial recertification, federal regulations allow employers to decide when retraining is necessary. We respect your authority to manage your team’s safety compliance. Because retraining needs vary by company, we do not add expiration dates to training documents unless specifically requested. If your company policy or a third-party entity requires a specific expiration date for retraining, please let us know during registration. We are happy to include a custom expiration date on your training documents upon request.

 To ensure your training documents are accurate, please confirm any expiration date requirements before completing registration. A $125 administrative fee per each registrant will apply to any document revisions or reissuances requested after the training date.

Regulatory Compliance

The Competent Climber/Rescuer course fully aligns with OSHA and MIOSHA standards, including 29 CFR 1910, 1926 Subpart M, and MIOSHA Parts 6 and 45. Our curriculum covers the full lifecycle of safety—from selection and inspection to advanced rescue techniques—and is engineered to exceed the NATE (CRTS) Climber Rescue Training Standard. Furthermore, our training delivery follows the voluntary safety criteria established by ANSI Z359, Z490, and ANSI/ASSP A10.48. 

This course goes beyond the standard mandates of 29 CFR 1926.503(a) to deliver a truly comprehensive fall protection program. To assist with your administrative needs, we supply formal certification records that satisfy 1926.503(b) to ensure your company remains in compliance.   

See our Training Calendar for dates, and seating availability.