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Teen rescued after falling from Brohm Lake cliff

Squamish SAR, fire and RCMP respond to Aug. 6 incident
Brohm
Squamish first responders worked together to rescue a teenage girl who fell while cliff jumping at Brohm Lake on Aug. 6.

A teen has been taken to hospital with possible spinal and pelvis injuries after falling from a cliff at Brohm Lake near Squamish.

Around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 6, BC Ambulance, RCMP and Squamish Fire Rescue requested the local Search and Rescue's assistance with a rescue at Brohm Lake. Squamish SAR president BJ Chute told The Chief a teenage girl had been cliff jumping, but fell, hitting the shore instead of the water.

In a press release, Squamish RCMP said it was a 20-metre drop.

Squamish SAR sent their ground team as well as the water rescue volunteers. When they reached the teen, first responders determined she needed help getting to the ambulance. The trail leading up from the shoreline is steep, Chute said, and then she would need to travel down the main trail to the parking lot.

"The easiest and quickest way to transport that patient, in the end, was with the SAR boat," Chute said. If the boat hadn't worked, the backup plan would have been a technical rope rescue using both SAR and Squamish Fire. But the rescue ended up taking only a few minutes via the inflatable boat.

"That boat cut down the rescue by hours. Not only a lot quicker and definitely more comfortable for the injured party, but also it was the most safe, efficient way to do that rescue," he said.

The teen was moved in a spinal kit. Chute, who treated her at the scene, said they suspected possible spinal and pelvis injuries, but didn't know the extent of her injuries.

Squamish RCMP's press release said the teenager was climbing the cliff to find a place to jump off from when she fell.

It's not the first time SAR and Squamish Fire have responded to cliff-related calls at Brohm Lake. The area is popular for cliff jumping, Chute said.

"Whether people have just misstepped off that cliff, I think the key is that there are young people, inexperienced people cliff jumping. Cliff jumping can be dangerous and people need to be aware of those dangers when they're partaking in that activity," he added.

He said anyone going to the lake need to be aware of their surroundings, have proper protective equipment and, especially around Brohm Lake, be aware of the cliff edges and slippery rocks.

It was the sixth consecutive day for SAR volunteers responding to distress calls in Squamish. Around 20 volunteers attended the Brohm Lake call, with around 15 firefighters.

"It was a really, really well-done co-response with Squamish Fire," Chute said, adding the relationship between the region's first responders is key for an efficient and safe response. SAR, Squamish Fire and the RCMP have overlapping response areas within the district.

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