Jonesboro television outlet KAIT Region 8 News recently turned its spotlight on the Batesville Fire Department’s (BFD) new rappel team and its first time in action.
On Tuesday, rappel team members were dispatched to assist county crews and Pleasant Plains Rescue at a single-vehicle accident that left a vehicle 200 feet down a ravine.
Batesville Training Officer Chris Seat told Region 8 News’ Hayden Savage that when the team arrived, the vehicle was lying on its side with its occupants still inside.
The rappel equipment helped ensure the safety of the first responders and also the victims, Seat said.
“The steep terrain, the way that it was with the rocks, the boulders, the trees,” Seat told Savage. “One little slip on a rock, it could have sent a rock further down the hill, injuring someone else down there with the vehicle. This equipment helps keep us steady on our feet, so we’re not going to slip, trip, or fall.”
On its Facebook page, the BFD said all occupants were removed from the vehicle and hauled up the ravine to waiting ambulances. The department said the incident definitely tested the skills and experience of all involved.
BFD thanked the Pleasant Plains Volunteer Fire Department, Vital Link EMS, Survival Flight, the Arkansas State Police, the Independence County Sheriff’s Department, and the Independence County Office of Emergency Management for their work on the accident.
To see the Region 8 News report, click here.
Images: Batesville Fire Department social media
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