Virginia Tech Rescue Squad has taken its rescue mission to new heights by creating a technical rescue team that specializes in high and low angle rope rescues.
High and low angle rope rescues are used to rescue people who are trapped at height or at depth, such as the bottom of a cliff. Technical rescue operations are considered low frequency but high risk due to the dangerous location of the patient and heightened risks to rescuers.
The team started in August 2023 and has responded to three calls to date. These deployments included mutual aid to local agencies and football operations. “This is important to have as a resource, largely because we have a lot of tall buildings and many difficult places at height to access,” said Jake Wierer, chief of Virginia Tech Rescue Squad.
Wierer realized the need for the specialized rescue operation after he and other members assisted Giles County with a rope rescue mission. The rescue squad developed the technical rescue team as a service that can be deployed across the Blacksburg campus and locally when requested.