Rescue crews in Tacoma were in the middle of a tricky cliff operation Monday after a person fell from the bluffs at the Dalco Passage viewpoint in Point Defiance Park. Teams on the cliff face worked with rope systems while a city fireboat waited just offshore, ready to move the person to safety once rescuers could bring them down to the waterline.
Rescue Teams Using Ropes, Fireboat To Move Patient
The Tacoma Fire Department sent technical rescue crews to the Dalco Passage viewpoint along Five Mile Drive on Monday, where teams were working to lower themselves to the spot where the person had fallen. As reported by The News Tribune, the plan was to get the person to shore, then onto the Fireboat Defiance, before transporting them by ambulance from a dock near the Dune Peninsula.
Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd said it is “a slow-go to make sure everybody’s safe.” She explained that rope rescues can take a long time because of the heavy equipment involved and the particular conditions at each scene. Shepherd told The News Tribune that crews were coordinating from the cliff, on the water and along nearby roads as they worked to move the person to the boat. Officials had not immediately released the person’s identity or condition.
Cliffs And Tides Make Rescues Risky…