ELORA – Centre Wellington firefighters rescued a woman from the Elora Gorge Conservation Area on July 18.
At about 1:40pm firefighters from the Elora and Fergus stations responded to the incident.
A female hiker was walking by the river at the conservation area and injured her right leg and ankle, explained Jonathan Karn, deputy fire chief with Centre Wellington Fire Rescue Services.
The 911 call came from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) office at the gorge, which had received a call from a campsite.
The woman was unable to walk back up to the top of the trail, so firefighters secured her in a Stokes basket and used a low-angle rescue.
Rescued – Fergus and Elora firefighters used a Stokes basket and a low angle rescue at the Elora Gorge Conservation Area on July 18. They rescued a woman who injured her leg and ankle while hiking. Submitted photo
“We still used our ropes and still hauled the person back to the top but it was more up a steep trail,” Karn explained.
The rescue, from contact with the patient to delivering her to paramedics, took about 20 minutes.
Firefighters returned to their stations at about 2:45pm.
“We obviously need to find the best access point for us to go down into the gorge and then of course set everything up, bring that patient to the top and then of course there’s tear down for us,” Karn said.
He acknowledged GRCA staff for their help in the rescue.
“They met us at the gate, took us to the area where the person was,” Karn said.
“So they’re always helpful with taking us to the right spot, keeping any other hikers out of the area till we’re finished.”
No firefighters were injured during the rescue.
