Multiple rescues keep firefighters busy across the North Shore

Firefighters on the North Shore had a busy long weekend rescuing injured people from hiking trails and bodies of water, including one cliff jumper who had to be pulled out of Lynn Canyon on a stretcher.

Members of the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services were feeling mentally and physically exhausted by Monday afternoon, according to assistantChief Brian Hutchinson.

"In the last 36 hours, I'd say we're probably at six to seven rescues across the North Shore, from Capilano River out to Quarry Rock " he told CBC News, shortly after firefighters hauled a young woman from the 90-foot pool at Lynn Canyon Park.

She had hurt herself in the early afternoon while plunging from the cliff and was unable to get out again, Hutchinson said. Rescuers placed her in a basket stretcher and pulled her out by rope as onlookers applauded.

Hutchinson described the rescue as "quite technical" but said his crews pulled it off without a hitch.

"The canyons on the North Shore require a high level of expertise, and we're very fortunate that our members spend hundreds of hours every year practicing and training for this specific type of incident," he said.

Early in the day, firefighters also conducted a rescue on one of the trails in the same park.

Hutchinson said that even though rescues can be tiring, it's rewarding work.

"We are reminding people just to have an awareness around what you're doing in the front country here, whether you're going into the rivers or you're going out on the trails. Be prepared, know the conditions, and just be safe," he said.