SFD rescues man from riverbank

At 0615 on the morning of December 15th, the Spokane Fire Department responded to a report of a person who had fallen down the riverbank below the north end of the Post Street Bridge in downtown Spokane. Engine 3 responded and found the 24 year old male victim on a ledge near the water. He was reported to have fallen approximately twenty feet to that location and was unable to get back up the extremely steep embankment. Engine 3 requested additional resources consisting of the Spokane Fire Department Technical Rescue Team from Station 4, an ambulance, and a Battalion Chief. Upon arrival at the scene, the Technical Rescue Team lowered, by rope, one of its members to the victim to evaluate his medical condition. Fortunately, the victim sustained only minor injuries, which simplified the rescue situation. Rescuers lowered a ladder over the steepest portion of the embankment, which allowed the victim to climb up while attached to a belay rope and assisted by the team member. Once up the ladder, the victim was further assisted up the embankment to the awaiting ambulance. He was transported to a local hospital where his condition has not been reported at this time. The victim was very fortunate to have not fallen into the Spokane River because of the cold water and ambient air temperatures. Additionally, the location of this rescue is just upstream of the lower falls of the river, and with a relatively high flow rate of 3750 cubic feet per second, escape from the water before reaching the falls would have been difficult at best.