BY WILLIAM GOULD AND JAMES SCHWARTZ
On May 17, 2006, at approximately 1630 hours, the New Haven (CT) Emergency Reporting System (ERS) received a 911 call reporting five high-school students were stranded on a rock ledge in the city’s East Rock Park. ERS dispatched a basic life support (BLS) engine company, an advanced life support (ALS) ambulance, a ladder company, and a squad company. A deputy chief and a battalion chief responded along with the department’s safety officer, EMS director, and drillmaster.
The incident occurred in the city-operated East Rock Park. West Rock Ridge State Park is also located within the city limits. Both parks are heavily wooded and include recreation areas and scenic lookouts, and each has rock faces more than 300 feet high.
On arrival, fire department units had difficulty locating the trapped victims. Eventually ERS connected a victim’s cell phone with the department safety officer, Captain William Seward, to identify their location. He used the siren in his vehicle to home in on the subjects and located them. They were stranded along the face of the East Rock cliff, approximately 200 feet below the top at the base. I, Lieutenant James Schwartz-a rescue squad officer with US&R Connecticut Task Force 1 (CT-TF 1) and well-versed in rope rescue operations-accompanied by three Squad 1 members, carried rope and rigging equipment to the base of the cliff. We encountered underbrush, brambles, trees, uneven terrain, loose shale, and rocks in traversing the approximately 400 feet from Farnam Drive, where Squad 1’s apparatus was staged, to the base of the East Rock cliff to reach the stranded students. Squad 2 was already operating at the top of the East Rock, which we had accessed by a scenic service road, and assisted Squad 1 in pinpointing the subjects’ exact position, which was 200 feet from the top of the cliff (photo 1).
The five teenagers had gotten themselves trapped by laterally traversing the rock ledge along the face. The students were from nearby Derby High School and were in town for a track meet. They had intended to hike to the top of the East Rock and then run back down. They mistakenly had gone off the regular trail and followed a rocky path; they reached a point from which they discovered they couldn’t go back or move forward because of the rough terrain. Squad 1 members assessed the teenagers’ medical conditions; they found no injuries.
The squad then sized up the area to determine the best approach for removing the stranded victims. After conferring with Captain William Gould of Squad 2, Captain Seward, and Acting Deputy Chief Ralph Black, I determined the best option would be to raise the stranded victims and rescuers to the top of the rock face. Lowering them to the base of the cliff would require more ropes, rigging, and personnel, who most likely would have had to be lowered from Squad 2’s location above. Also, it would require a long and unsafe hike through rugged terrain back to the road. The stranded students, wearing sneakers, shorts, and tank tops, were not dressed appropriately for such an endeavor.
At the top of East Rock, I and Squad 2 members began to set up a hauling operation anchored to a series of small trees about 150 feet back from the edge, which allowed for more efficient rope management and less confusion around the operating area. Since only four rescuers were at the site and there were five students, Squad 2 Firefighter Jason Balletto was lowered on a main line backed by a triple-wrapped, tandem prusik belay line. He had with him five helmets and climbing harnesses supplied by the New Haven Parks Department. This equipment was invaluable in ensuring the students’ safety during their ascent. Loose rocks and shale were falling down in the vicinity of the rescuers and victims throughout the operation. After Balletto descended to the base of the ledge, a student was hooked into his harness and attached to the belay line; the hauling operation was begun (Figure 1).
 Figure 1. Aerial View of East Rock Rescue Operation |
A 4:1 raising system was attached to the main line on top, and members began to haul Balletto and the first rescued student. Because of the uneven terrain, the wooded trail area, and the change-of-direction pulleys in place, bringing up the students went slowly. The necessity for multiple resets had the students suspended on the rope for an undesirable time, up to an hour in one case. Members were anticipating approximately 45 minutes to an hour for each haul, four to five hours of work.
After the first haul, the rescuers changed over to a 3:1, Z-rig system. There were sufficient personnel available for the haul team. Since the site at the top of the cliff was in a secluded wooded area, and not close to the road, apparatus could not be used as anchor points. After the 3:1 system was constructed, including change of direction pulleys for a longer and more efficient pull, the rescuers below pulled back on a tag line, reversing the system. This allowed the system to be reused without difficulty. We repeated this evolution four times over four hours with all members operating in rotation and displaying coordinated teamwork and professionalism.
During the operation, apparatus repair and training division personnel set up and maintained generators and lighting equipment and tended to other logistics. The Connecticut State Police helicopter, Trooper 1, operated at the scene for the duration, leaving the scene only briefly to give air support during a car chase from the bordering town of North Haven into New Haven. Trooper 1 returned, using its spotlights to illuminate the rock face. This lighting proved invaluable in the successful outcome of the operation. Portable lighting was able to illuminate only the edge tenders and hauling team. The last rescuer and subject were hauled to safety around 2115 hours.
PREVIOUS INCIDENT
In a similar incident that had occurred the previous November, fire department members were lowered from the top of the rock face and had to pick off an unsupported female subject who had been free climbing the face of cliff, which is prohibited. She, too, had contacted New Haven ERS through a cell phone. Members used a rescue harness to remove her, and the system was converted to a hauling system. She was subsequently arrested by the New Haven Police Department and later ordered by a judge to pay $6,000 to the city, which had requested restitution of the costs incurred by her rescue. It is illegal to climb or rappel in East Rock Park.
LESSONS LEARNED AND REINFORCED
- Fire department members need to be proficient in all aspects of this type of rescue. In this operation, the setting was in the rural environment. Members need to be able to identify proper anchor points or to construct a picket system. We encountered difficulty when the subjects were raised to the top edge: Getting the rescuer and rescue subject up and over was not very smooth. Using a high point anchor would have allowed for an easier transition to the safe area. It is crucial to drill on and practice rope operations. These skills are difficult to maintain without constant training and must be reinforced throughout your career.
- When a prolonged incident is anticipated, the incident commander must ensure that logistical needs are addressed. Although this incident began on an afternoon that was sunny with a light breeze and temperature around 75°F, everything changed at nightfall. The nightfall temperature drop wasn’t that drastic, but it did get pretty cool up on the top of the mountain when the sun went down. Issues to consider are hydration and personal needs, hypothermia, and lighting and power sources. The CSP helicopter was needed to illuminate the rock face during the removals; portable lighting was able to light only the edge tenders and hauling team.
- The lack of sufficient personnel was never an issue in this incident; the command staff was proactive in retaining companies on-scene to assist. Personnel requirements must be anticipated in the initial stages of an incident. During size-up, it is important to assess the need for properly trained personnel. Members operating on the scene will give you 100 percent, but if they are not trained in the proper discipline-confined space, trench rescue, hazmat, or rope rescue operations-the best intentions could prove disastrous.
- The incident management system (IMS) must be strictly enforced. The number of personnel involved and the logistical needs necessitate that there be accountability in every aspect. Members may have the best intentions, but they must be disciplined. Personnel operating near the edge of a cliff must be tied off. Only essential personnel should be used in the Hot zone. As in every discipline, safe operations must take precedence.
- Although certainly not routine, this operation was handled in a timely and efficient manner. Company officers must prevent the “can’t happen here” attitude that so easily spreads throughout the ranks.
- Companies responsible for specialized rescue operations must maintain a constant state of readiness. They must have the desire and maintain the drive to train as if such incidents happen every day. Company members must take pride in themselves and their work, maintaining the discipline, skills, and knowledge to perform the needed tasks. Otherwise, they will not be able to achieve a safe and successful outcome.
WILLIAM GOULD is a 20-year veteran of the New Haven (CT) Fire Department and captain of Squad 2. He is a Connecticut-certified fire service instructor, confined space technician, hazmat technician, and structural collapse technician and is trained in trench rescue operations, vehicle/machinery rescue, and rope rescue. Gould is a rescue specialist with the US&R team CT-TF1.
JAMES SCHWARTZ is a lieutenant in and 20-year veteran of the New Haven (CT) Fire Department, assigned to Squad 1. He is a squad officer with US&R CT-TF1 and a Connecticut-certified instructor at the technician level for trench, confined space, high- and low-angle rope rescue, structural collapse, and hazmat operations for the Connecticut State Fire Academy and Spec Rescue International.
