Preparing for Anything-EMS workers learn to rappel

Warren County EMS workers peer over the edge of Westwood Bridge as paramedic Nick Abraham, top, and instructor Robert Oaks rappel to the ground.

But in an effort to better prepare themselves for any type of situation, paramedics and other rescue personnel were making the roughly 40-foot descent from the bridge to the ground by rope yesterday afternoon.

‘In a rural setting like we’re in, this gives us the resources to be a little more diversified,’ said Warren County EMS director Brian Jennings. ‘If we wait for an outside source to come to Warren County to help us do our work, it takes away from that golden hour,’ he added referring to the vital one-hour span immediately after a serious accident.

While rappelling rescues are rare, they are needed. Jennings said it was four years ago when emergency workers rappelled into a well in the Centertown community to rescue a girl who had fallen in.

Such a rescue was also needed during Warren County High School construction when a worker was injured while working in the gym rafters and had to be lowered to the ground. Jennings says that was a difficult situation.

‘If you don’t know what to do and you’re just standing there scratching your head, it’s a terrible feeling,’ said Jennings.

McMinnville resident Robert Oaks, a seasoned rappelling instructor, is helping the EMS workers refine their skills. Rappelling likely won’t be needed often, but workers says it’s best to be prepared for such an event.

‘We do see a need here,’ said paramedic Nick Abraham after rappelling from the bridge. ‘It’s another step to setting up a complete system.’

Jennings said there are hundreds of caves in the area and this type of rescue could be used to extricate someone who had an accident or medical emergency while inside a cave. With billboards and cellphone towers also prevalent, rappelling techniques could help someone who is injured and dangling from a safety rope high above the ground.

So what did Jennings think of his rappelling experience?

‘My knees are still shaking,’ he said moments after hitting the ground. ‘But I guess it’s like anything else. The more you do it, the more you get used to it.’