Responding with Ropes

• The Rescue Squad

The Rescue Squad has already performed several cliff rescues on the North Shore this summer. Submitted photo
• Cliff Rescues

The Rescue Squad has already conducted a few cliff rescues since their recent training. Submitted photo

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Hanging over a cliff by a half-inch rope may not appeal to everyone, but for the Lake County Sheriff’s Rescue Squad, it’s a skill that regularly comes in handy.

The Rescue Squad has already performed several cliff rescues on the North Shore this summer.

Seven members of the Rescue Squad recently spent three days updating their rope rescue skills with professional trainers from CMR Rescue, a training institution for technical rescue. Those members are updating the rest of the 55 member squad to respond to injured or stranded climbers and hikers on rocky terrain.

Responding to hundreds of calls for help each year, Lake County Sheriff’s Rescue Squad provides medical first response in homes, at highway accidents and fire scenes, as well as water and ice rescue, rope rescue, and wilderness search and rescue in Lake County. It also assists other counties when requested by the sheriff’s office. According to Sheriff Carey Johnson, the training is imperative for both the safety of those who play on the North Shore and the rescuers who put their lives at risk to save those in threatening situations.

The squad has already conducted a few cliff rescues since their recent training. According to Rescue Squad coordinator Pete Walsh, members completed the training successfully and are now better equipped to carry out rescue operations.

“Our members did a super job,” he said. “The course paid for itself in one single day.”

Tags: two harbors, rescue squad, cliff rescue, news