Cliff Rescue in Pacifica

On February 7, 2015 at 5:40 p.m. 5 Fire Companies, 1 Technical Rescue Unit and 1 Chief Officer responded to a cliff rescue at Palmetto Avenue and Westline Drive.

Upon arrival, fire companies located an adult female hiker that had fallen down the side of a cliff and due to the location it required firefighters to repel approximately 200 feet to perform the rescue.

Utilizing a rope rescue system, along with a rescue basket, firefighter/paramedics went over the edge repelling down the side of the cliff in order to reach the victim.  With the darkness and steep conditions, it was a difficult and time consuming operation. After reaching and making contact with the fallen hiker, firefighter/paramedics assessed the patient for injuries and treated the medical conditions found.  Once the patient was stabilized, firefighters placed the injured hiker into the rescue basket and brought the patient up the side of the cliff.

The hiker had moderate injuries and was transported by a paramedic ambulance unit to the hospital. The incident was mitigated in approximately two and a half hours.