Woman injured after falling 15 feet while climbing wall behind local high school
A woman in her 40s was trying to climb a wall behind Steilacoom High School Tuesday evening when she fell about 15 feet, according to West Pierce Fire & Rescue spokesperson Jenny Weekes.
Crews got the call and were dispatched just after 7 p.m., Weekes said. The woman was transported in stable condition to a hospital.
The response team included firefighters from Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One and East Pierce Fire & Rescue because the call required a “technical rescue,” according to Weekes. She said a technical rescue could encompass a range of incidents but might include rescuing someone from a trench, confined space or a fall from a steep cliff. Thoserescue efforts might require special technical tools beyond what would be necessary for incidents like a house fire.
The rescue behind Steilacoom High School was a rope rescue. A photograph posted on X by West Pierce Fire & Rescue shows crews lowering a rope over a wall to the injured woman.
Weekes said she hasn’t seen a response like this one since West Pierce Fire & Rescue formed a contract to serve Steilacoom in 2012, but said she would reach out to the department’s data analyst to confirm.
She said she wasn’t sure why the woman was climbing or which wall it was. Weekes said crews were given the address of Steilacoom High School and told the patient was just behind it.
This story was originally published August 14, 2024 at 4:30 PM.
