Gore Hill Fire Rescue is trained and equipped to provide Low Angle Rescue Services to the local community. With icy conditions, roadside ditches, and hills too steep to comfortably work on, Low Angle Rescue provides firefighters the means to make a safe and effective rescue of injured or trapped persons from these locations.

Firefighters use harnesses to secure themselves to the Stokes Basket or to the winch used to raise and lower the basket, enabling them to remain safe while working in the hazardous conditions.

The Winch team is responsible for the safe and effective lowering and raising of the basket crew. The brakeman is responsible for making sure the break can be set if the basket crew should run into problems.

The basket crew, secured to the Stokes Basket, is able to walk perpendicular to the ground due to the tension on the rope. The rope runs through the winch to the basket, creating a controllable means for the crew to safely ascend and descend.

Once in a position to make a rescue, through the use of webbing and other securing devices, the team can move temporarily away from the basket while still remaining safe. This allows the crew to safely prepare the patient for transport to the top.

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