Great Falls Fire Rescue crews along with the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department and the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office completed a rescue of a patient who fell over 150 feet off a cliff on the River’s Edge Trail Friday.
Captain Daniel Cherry tells us the call came in around 8:30 to 9:00 pm and that it took roughly three and a half hours to locate the patient, assess the options for getting them out, get resources to the scene and set up systems for patient evacuation.
Cool temperatures and rain, along with the darkness and water heights keeping them from using a boat to rescue the individual were factors that made the rescue difficult as well Cherry says.
During the rescue, mercy flight couldn’t respond, and according to Cherry, the only option was using a rope to get down to the patient and bring them up.