Two Fire Dept. Rescues

Saturday was a busy one for Penticton fire fighters as they responded to two rescue calls within three hours.

Just before 3 pm, a call came in reporting a man trapped on a low ledge at Munson Mountain, which is between Penticton and Naramata.

According to witnesses, a young man had climbed down to the ledge just after 2 pm. Why he climbed down isn’t known.

Fire Chief Wayne Williams says they have a procedure in place for situations like that.

“Our crews rigged a rope harness and followed the procedure for low angle rope rescues. We have a very good rope rescue team, so we were able to get the man down in under an hour,” says Williams.

He says RCMP closed entry to the park while the crew performed the rescue. Paramedics took over the man’s care once he reached the ground. It’s not known if he was injured.

“Following the rope rescue, the department responded to another call. Just after 5 pm, an elderly man was driving a forklift on his property in the Hulusa Highlands area when it rolled down an embankment,” says Williams.

He says the man, believed to be in his 80’s, was thrown from the forklift and sustained injuries serious enough to prevent him from being able to get back up the hill by himself.

“We assisted the paramedics in securing the man to a rescue board and getting him in an ambulance,” says Williams.

The man’s condition isn’t known.