NORTH?HEAD Shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Washington State Parks requested South Pacific County Technical Rescue and Pacific County Fire District #1 to respond to the cliffs below North Head Lighthouse for an individual who had slipped on the rocks, fallen and injured his ankle, according to a press release from Chief Jacob Brundage from Pacific County Fire District #1.

The man, 34 from Selah, was with a group of about six others who were fishing off the rocks when he fell. Doug Knutzen with South Pacific County Technical Rescue climbed down the cliff face, about 50 feet from the waters edge, to the individual. Knutzen secured him to his rope and assessed his medical situation. From that point we have to figure out how were going to get him out of there, he said. 

The rescue team decided they had three options: wait out the tide, haul him up the cliff in a basket, or call the Coast Guard for assistance. The tide wouldnt be out until about 11:30 p.m. and according to Knutzen, it would have been very difficult to haul him up the steep cliff in the basket. After we did get him up the face, weve got probably 300 yards of salal, grass, trees and puckerbrush to haul him through, he said. The team decided to call the Coast Guard who had the resources available to send a helicopter to assist. 

A Coast Guard helicopter arrived several minutes later, lowered a rescue swimmer and successfully hoisted the patient from the cliff. We were really happy to see the Coast Guard come get him, Knutzen said. The helicopter then transported the patient to the Cape Disappointment Coast Guard Station, where, according to Chief Brundage, he was turned over to Fire District No. 1 medical personnel for treatment and transport to Ocean Beach Hospital.  

The Coast Guard, State Parks, Fire District No. 1, South Pacific County Technical Rescue, Ilwaco Fire and Long Beach Fire all responded and assisted in the rescue. We call all of the agencies because we know we have a lot of work to do and we need people, Knutzen said. Besides Knutzen, there were about seven other people on the top of the cliff working the ropes and assisting. It takes a lot of people to put one person over the edge, he said. 

A video of the rescue can be viewed at Pacific County Fire District No. 1s Facebook page. Everything went very well, said Knutzen, and I was really pleased with it.