St. George Fire, Search and Rescue perform low-angle ropes rescue for fallen climber

Responders from the St. George Fire Department, Washington County Sheriff's Search and Rescue and Gold Cross Ambulance perform a low-angle ropes rescue on an injured climber in the Black Rocks Climbing Area of St. George, Utah, Jan. 11, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Personnel from the St. George Fire Department responded to a call of an injured climber in the Black Rocks Climbing area of St. George on Monday.

Responders from the St. George Fire Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and Gold Cross Ambulance perform a low-angle ropes rescue on an injured climber in the Black Rocks Climbing Area of St. George, Utah, Jan. 11, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News

The call came shortly before noon of a woman who was climbing in the area just off state Route 18 near milepost 6. The climber had sustained injuries to her lower leg and was unable to make it to the trailhead, Battalion Chief Robert Hooper told St. George News.

St. George Fire responded to the scene and called for the assistance of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team.

A low-angle ropes rescue was performed and the woman was placed on a backboard in case of any back injuries and taken to the trailhead in a stokes basket, Hooper said.

A low-angle ropes rescue is when the angle of the cliff is about 45 degrees or less, Hooper said, whereas a high-angle ropes rescue is much closer to a cliff that is straight up and down.

Approximately 16-18 personnel responded and the rescue was complete in about an hour from the time of call, Hooper said.

The woman was transported in stable condition to the St. George Regional Hospital via Gold Cross Ambulance.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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