Nanaimo Fire Rescue’s technical rescue crew goes down a bank to rescue a man and his dog on July 26. Courtesy of Nanaimo Fire Rescue
A man and his dog were pulled to safety by Nanaimo firefighters Wednesday morning after they got stuck down a bank near the ocean.
According to Brad Wood, assistant chief of operation with Nanaimo Fire Rescue, at around 9:30 a.m., they received a call from a man who was stuck on a ledge 40 to 45 feet (12 to 14 metres) down an approximately 150-foot (45 metres) bank near Planta Road. The man had been trying to use a makeshift rope to rescue his Rottweiler who had a fallen down the bank at the shoreline.
Thirteen technical rescue crew members went to the bank. One person was sent down to put a harness on the man and then the crew members hauled them back up with a rope. The dog was also brought up safely and there were no injuries.
“They got up and everyone was OK and safe and very appreciative,” Wood said.
Wood said the man did the right thing by calling 911 right after he realized he was stuck as Nanaimo Fire Rescue is fully trained for rope rescues.
“When you’re walking around a steep bank, just make sure you have your pets on a leash or in control,” Wood said. “It happens fairly often where someone’s pet will go somewhere and people will go down to rescue them or get them back up and then they themselves become trapped.”
Nanaimo Fire Rescue’s technical rescue crew clean up after safely retrieving a man and his dog on July 26. Courtesy of Nanaimo Fire Rescue
Alexa Huffman
