Two rock climbers were using ropes to ascend a defined climbing path on Beacon Rock when an adult male fell approximately 25 feet and landed on a ledge 200 feet off the ground

About 1:30 p.m. Thursday (March 14), the Region 4 Technical Rescue Team responded to Beacon Rock State Park to assist the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office and Skamania County EMS to bring an injured rock climber to the ground.

Two rock climbers were using ropes to ascend a defined climbing path on Beacon Rock when an adult male fell approximately 25 feet and landed on a ledge 200 feet off the ground. 

The rescue team members responded from Clark County and when they arrived on scene they developed a methodical plan to reach the injured climber using a complex rope and pulley system. Three firefighters ascended the 200-foot rock wall to reach the patient. 

The first was the Vancouver Fire Department Technical Rescue Team coordinator Captain Chris McBride, who climbed up to establish the rope rescue system. Another was a paramedic firefighter Mike McHugh, who evaluated the extent of the climbers injuries and found him to be in significant pain due to multiple injuries including a traumatic hip injury.

McHugh evaluated the climber and treated him for his pain. Another firefighter joined them with a “stokes basket” so they could place the climber in the metal basket for extrication to the ground using the rope-and-pulley system. 

The rescue took five hours, completion taking place just before the oncoming darkness. The climber was taken to the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Emergency Department by Skamania County EMS. 

Technical rescue team leaders on scene described a difficult and unique situation. 

“This was a really tough one. This was a once-in-a-career rescue effort. This is why we spend hundreds of hours training for an event like this. Everyone worked well together and performed professionally and proficiently.” 

A Vancouver Fire battalion chief on scene, who was the previous tech team coordinator, stated: “That was the hardest tech call of my 30-year career. We were on plan D and E. There were so many variables and our last rescuer came off the rock in the dark.” 

The Region 4 Tech Team consists of firefighters from Clark County Fire District 6, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue and Vancouver Fire Department. The team is available to respond to incidents in Washington state Region 4 including Clark, Skamania, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum Counties 24 hours a day.

Information provided by the Vancouver Fire Department.