Rescue simulation at Mont Bellevue

Submitted by Bruce Porter
Rescue simulation at Mont Bellevue
A firefighter climbing up a rope to a firefighter (posing as a stranded skier) in the stalled chairlift. (Photo : Bruce Porter)

Sherbrooke firefighters completed their final rescue simulation last Friday at local ski hill Mont Bellevue in preparation for the upcoming season. The technical training skills they fine-tune each fall are used in conjunction with Mont Bellevue workers and ski patrollers to help skiers trapped on a chairlift when a mechanical problem arises. Using ropes, a firefighter climbs up to the chair, places the skier in an evacuation harness, then the rescue crew lowers them safely to the ground. It is not a rapid procedure, requiring adequate safety measures as well as the physical demands put on the rescuer, but it ensures that skiers are not ‘left hanging’ during cold weather or for prolonged periods.

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