CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – When an Albemarle resident’s evening hike with their pet in the western portion of the county resulted in the person becoming stranded in icy, mountainous terrain, Albemarle County Fire Rescue’s technical rescue team went to work.

“They ended up setting up some extensive rope systems to both climb and to make the ascent and access the individual, and then setting up rescue or rope systems to help lower everybody back down,” ACFR battalion chief Phillip Burkett told Cville Right Now. “That one was fairly complex, and people were wearing typical rope rescue harnesses, and they were clipped in the whole time. It was a lot like a mountaineering adventure.”

The Jan. 25 snow and ice storm that buried much of the Albemarle County and Charlottesville area has created some different strains on emergency responders in the region, who are utilizing rope and harness systems and rescue sleds to aide injured and stranded people.

They’ve responded to calls for collapsed roofs and other structural issues as buildings struggle with the weight of accumulated ice and snow.

Burkett said as of 6 p.m. Monday ACFR alone had responded to 122 calls for service directly related to the ice and snow.

Charlottesville Deputy Chief Will Broscious said similar operations have been required in the city.

“It’s been pretty difficult,” Broscious said during an appearance on WINA Morning News on Tuesday. “With the topography of Charlottesville, individuals slipping and falling down hills. In normal circumstances you could get yourself out, but we’ve had to rescue a few people using rope and pulley systems to get them back up those hills safely.”

Monday, CFD responded to a call at the University of Virginia that required two people to be extracted.

“Crews were dispatched after a dog walked too close to the edge of a hill and slid down the embankment,” a release said. “The owners attempted to rescue their dog, who was not injured and became trapped down the hill due to the icy conditions.”

At Wintergreen, two separate incidents required technical rescue team efforts. In one case, on Friday, multiple people “slid a few hundred feet over a very steep embankment before crossing a deep ditch and ending up in trees,” according to a Wintergreen Fire & Rescue release.

“Ultimately, one patient was hauled up on rope and the other was taken to an awaiting ambulance via a grooming tractor. One patient was transported to UVA and a second to Augusta Health. Neither had life-threatening injuries,” the release said.

Then, on Saturday, a person “slipped on the ice and slid down a steep embankment before coming to rest in the forest. A bystander attempted to assist, however became a second patient.”

Albemarle has a technical rescue team, with two specialized units, based out of Station 11 in Monticello, with a heavy squad truck and water and ice rescue vehicle. Burkett said those teams are “equipped for rope rescues, trench collapses, confined spaces. difficult vehicle extrications, things like that.”

“They’ve been fairly busy,” Burkett said. “They’ve had to utilize different rope systems or we have a sled that doubles in duty for both water rescue and ice rescue, and we’ve used it on different occasions to put victims on and help pull them back up to the roadway or whatever the safe area is.”

Burkett said the icy conditions can make even routine calls more complicated, forcing the department to deploy extra personnel in cases where the victims were in an area that was difficult for an ambulance to access.

And the temperatures, which have been consistently below freezing for much of the past two weeks, can turn minor injuries into life threatening situations. People who slip and fall, suffering broken bones, run the risk of hypothermia if they’re not located and rescued in a timely manner.

“If you took this weather away, then those injuries, you can take your time and really package somebody up nice and get them to the hospital and they get care and things go great,” Burkett said. “But with this weather, it’s difficult because hypothermia can set in really quickly if you’re not dressed and prepared for the environment.”

To avoid needing the technical rescue squad, Burkett recommends avoiding frozen waterways, be cognizant of slopes and edges and having someone with you during walks or hikes.

He said anyone going out into the cold should be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and carry a cell phone, which can be used to call for help or to allow rescuers to triangulate a missing person’s location.

Albemarle has closed a number of parks due to safety concerns, including Biscuit Run, Walnut Creek, Chris Greene, Mint Springs, Byrom Park, Totier Park, Simpson Park, and Preddy Creek.

Wintergreen Fire & Rescue