As an ordained minister living in Scotia, NY, Kent Busman often helps others in their times of need. But at the start of 2015, the house where Busman and his family lived burned to the ground. Fortunately, the year is ending on a high note for the family, as others in their small community have gathered together to help rebuild the home.

In an interview with the Albany Times Union, Busman said that others in the community, even those beyond the family’s church, have reached out to help them. A local construction company “agreed to work with us to not only rebuild a house, but to capture much of the essence of what we lost,” Busman said.

Family, friends, neighbors, and other local professionals gathered on Nov. 14 for what Busman said could best be described as “an old-fashioned barn raising” to put together the frame of the house. To help move wooden beams and other supplies, a local rigging and hauling company donated their crane and rigging supplies, and a friend of a friend “donated his skills as a crane operator,” Busman explained.

And such skills are important when it comes to building any type of structure. Operating a crane doesn’t just require the ability to steer and control lifting equipment, even though that’s a big part of it. Those who have passed through rigging certification and training courses also have to know how to both effectively and safely operate a crane, including knowing the load capacity of such equipment. A rigging operator can determine which socket and clip fittings, which are types of rigging hardware, should be used to attach a rope to a sling; the best fittings will have 75 to 100% of the breaking load of the rope.

One should also understand which type of rope to use. Wire rope is most often used because of its strength and construction. For example, a 6 x 25 wire rope has six strands and 25 wires, so a trained crane operator would know whether or not the rope needs to be thicker or thinner, depending on the load.

In addition to selecting rope, the operator may also need to choose other rigging hardware items, such as shackles, hoist rings, eye bolts, lifting points, pipe handling, c-hooks, coil lifters, and more. Other rigging hardware and accessories include objects like lifting chains, clamps, beams, and web slings, the latter of which should be inspected anywhere from monthly to quarterly or at least once per year, depending upon use. For something like building (or rebuilding) a home, having the right equipment is paramount to getting the job done right.

Although the house isn’t completed just yet, the Busmans remain hopeful that their new home will have the character of the old one. Busman even had a fellow pastor bless the house to get things off to a good start. The house fire isn’t forgotten, he said, but the help of others in the community, and those who have donated their time, equipment, and supplies, have helped turn an hour of need into a time of hope and joy.