District of North Van fire crews rescue 4 hikers, 2 mountain bikers in one day

It was a busy Sunday over the long weekend for District of North Vancouver fire crews, who rescued six nature-goers.

Asst. Chief Dwayne Derban told CTV News four of the rescued individuals were hiking on Grouse Mountain, and two were mountain biking in the Mount Seymour area.

The first call on Grouse Mountain was to help a hiker who suffered an ankle injury on the way down the B.C. Mountaineering Club Trail, who was carried down the mountain. While firefighters were on the trail, they found three more people in need of rescue.

Derban says it’s likely more people than usual were opting to hike down Grouse as the gondola was out of service for several hours that afternoon, leading to more injuries.

Two of the people crews found on Grouse were exhausted and needed help walking down, while the third had a very weak pulse and needed medical attention.

“We were quite worried,” Derban said, adding that firefighters brought a compression machine and an AED with them in case the patient’s heart stopped. “Luckily, it didn't get to that point,” he said. The individual was carried down the mountain and transferred to paramedics.

“People often think that when you’re on your way down a trail that’s very steep that it’s going to be easy, but going down on the frame it can be more taxing than going up,” Derban said.

He advised hikers to know the trail and topography before heading out, and be prepared for the weather.

Also on Sunday, firefighters were called to help a mountain biker who had fallen on a trail in the Seymour Demonstration Forest near Rice Lake, and another biker on a trail off Mount Seymour Road who sustained an arm injury.

Derban’s advice for bikers is to stick to trails you’re qualified to do—which are well-marked as beginner, intermediate and expert.

“I would advise going with somebody who has done the trail before and definitely don’t go alone,” he said. “You always want to go in pairs when you’re in the woods. If somebody has a bad accident, it could be a while before anybody else comes.”

Derban added, “we’re blessed to live and work in a place that has incredible natural scenery and pladces to do activities. It’s great for physical and mental health to be out there, it’s just a matter of taking the proper precautions before you go.”