Emergency rescue crews worked late through the night to safely recover an individual who fell over a 50-foot cliff and sustained significant traumatic injuries in northeastern Clark County.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, the Volcano Rescue Team (VRT), North Country EMS (NCEMS), and Clark County Fire District 13 (CCFD13) received a request for a high-angle rope rescue at Big Tree Creek Falls off NE Falls Road just outside of Yacolt.
When CCFD13 and NCEMS personnel arrived, they made contact with the reporting party, who led the first responders to the incident location, and CCFD13 stated this on social media.
Once the VRT arrived at the scene, they contacted Chief 52 as NCEMS and CCFD13 EMTs and paramedics had already made hasty access to the patient via a side trail and provided emergency care, the VRT stated in a social media post.
When the VRT confirmed the subject was down an approximately 50-foot cliff adjacent to the waterfall, the team began setting up multiple rope systems and an artificial high directional to access the patient’s location. The Clark County Regional Technical Rescue Team (TRT) was requested to assist and arrived on scene. Both the VRT and the TRT worked cooperatively to finish engineering the rope systems necessary to extricate the subject.
The patient was packaged into a litter, and rescuers worked to utilize the rope systems to raise the subject back to the roadway. Once extricated, the subject was transferred to a waiting NCEMS ambulance and was transported to an area hospital, the VRT stated.
During the rescue, the VRT, CCFD13, and NCEMS were assisted by Clark County Fire District 6, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue, Clark County Fire District 10, Vancouver Fire Department, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Over 30 emergency personnel were on scene, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office stated.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office also provided an additional light resource by utilizing the searchlight on a drone.
