Local firefighters have depended on the expertise of surrounding towns when rescuing climbers hurt on Ragged Mountain or other cliffs.
That will change next year, when new training and equipment, funded with a federal grant, gives more Southington firefighters the required certification in cliff rescues. Meriden, Middletown and Hamden have firefighters proficient with ropes and other mountain climbing gear to get trapped or injured climbers to safety.
“Right now, we’re dependent on them,” said Battalion Chief Glenn Dube.
Thousands of climbers visit Ragged Mountain every year from all over the northeast. There’s usually one cliff rescue every year.
In June, a 31-year-old Providence man fell from the rock face at Ragged Mountain and suffered head injuries. Fellow climbers helped him to the bottom of the cliff.