From Bigfork Fire Facebook page
What happens when your sightseeing tour of the backroads of Flathead County doesn’t go as planned? You get to meet our crew and see us in action.
Yesterday afternoon, June 26th, just before 3 pm, we received a call of a vehicle over the cliff on Jewel Basin Road near the Camp Misery Trailhead. Our crew arrived to find, or rather hear, two people yelling for help below the narrow road. It seems our out-of-state visitors drove off the roadway and rolled their rental car multiple times down the steep embankment before it came to rest. Fortunately, they only had minor injuries. They were able to get out of their vehicle but could not get up the hill due to steep terrain and heavy underbrush.
As you may recall, we received a generous donation from the Friends of Bigfork Fire Department last year to purchase technical rope rescue equipment. We have been training with that equipment ever since, including just last week.
So over the hill we went, needing over 350 feet of rescue rope to reach our patients. After placing them in harnesses and helmets, we began the long task of slowing moving them up the cliff. This involved navigation over downed trees, thick brush, and multiple obstacles. This rescue took over two and half hours start to finish. Thank you to the Montana Highway Patrol for their assistance. A local towing company was tasked with the recovery of the vehicle.
We are always ready, trained, equipped, and eager to handle any emergency in our community. Whether it’s fires, accidents, medical events, or rescues on land or in the water, Bigfork Fire is here for you.
Source: Bigfork Fire
