District of North Vancouver firefighters were in cool water and on hot rocks this Labour Day long weekend as a host of risk-takers needed rescuing.
Two firefighters followed a rough trail to the edge of Capilano River Sunday night after getting a call regarding a group of seven swimmers and tubers who found themselves stranded in the dark and clinging to a rocky outcropping.
It was “pitch dark,” on the river, according to assistant fire chief Brian Hutchinson.
“They were extremely difficult to see,” Hutchinson said. “Their timing wasn’t great when they started.”
The firefighters pinpointed the swimmers’ location when one river-goer “held up the single cellphone that they had,” Hutchinson said.
The cellphone’s battery was down to two per cent, Hutchinson reported.
However, the call wasn’t over for the firefighters, as two of the swimmers were missing from the outcropping.
While firefighters deployed an inflatable craft to take the five swimmers to safety, emergency responders including RCMP officers scoured the river for the other two.
Eventually, police determined the missing duo had made it out of the river and eventually headed back to where they parked their cars.
The five stranded swimmers were generally in good condition, although one was hospitalized due mainly to exhaustion, Hutchinson noted. The call wrapped up a little after 1 a.m.
Firefighters also ended up in Lynn Canyon this weekend after a young cliff jumper injured her back in the 90-foot pool Sunday afternoon.
Rescuers would ordinarily use a harness to pull an injured jumper out of the steep terrain, but the back injury required firefighters to put the injured woman in a basket stretcher and lift her out.
The rescue was conducted over about two hours and ended when the jumper was transferred to B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics.
All told, firefighters performed six technical rescues over the weekend, from Capilano River to Quarry Rock and between, according to Hutchinson.
The incidents are a reminder to anyone seeking the great outdoors to take precautions – including having proper footwear and a light source – and to establish a familiarity with their surroundings.
And while it’s still hot during the day, adventure seekers should be mindful that the sun is setting earlier.
“People have been enjoying these long days throughout the summer and as we all recognize it’s getting darker earlier and earlier,” Hutchinson said.
