Tuesday, Clark County Fire District3 responded to a serious single-vehicle crash on Lucia Falls Road in Yacolt near Lucia Falls Regional Park.
According to a post on Facebook, the department said a car had driven off the road and was approximately 75 feet down a steep embankment toward East Fork Lewis River.
According to the department, after crews arrived at the scene and realized the difficulty of the terrain, they requested additional resources.
With assistance from Clark Coun ty’s Sheriff’s Office, firefighters used a low-angle rope system to safely extricate the injured driver.
The department said the driver was transported to a nearby church, where they were airlifted to a local hospital.
The department said that in the past, incidents similar to Tuesday’s crash would have required crews to wait longer for response teams with specific training, resulting in longer delays between the time of the crash and when the driver could get medical attention.
However, the department said, because firefighters had received technician-level training to handle rescues in difficult terrain, they were able to reach the victim and get them out safely and quickly.
“Not every rescue happens on a roadway or inside a building. Firefighters train extensively for rescues involving steep slopes, rivers, confined spaces, trenches, and structural collapse,” wrote the department on Facebook. “Having those capabilities available locally means specialized rescue operations can begin immediately when every minute matters.”