Skowhegan firefighters Sunday afternoon performed a high-angle rescue down a steep 260-foot embankment near Sandy River to retrieve a man who had cut his ankle with a hatchet while splitting wood in Mercer.
The Norridgewock Fire Department, which responded to the scene at 1867 Mercer Road, requested help from Skowhegan firefighters because of the steep incline and Skowhegan’s technical rescue team responded and set up a rope system with a basket and lowered the basket down to the man, according to Skowhegan fire Captain Rick Caldwell. Mercer Road also is U.S. Route 2.
Caldwell said firefighters worked with 300-foot ropes and three Skowhegan firefighters went down in the basket, packaged the man up and slowly pulled the basket up to the top.
A Redington-Fairview General Hospital EMS ambulance took the man, who had a deep cut to his ankle that was bleeding, to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan to be treated, according to Caldwell.
Caldwell said there were leaves on the incline, making it very slippery.
He said Norridgewock and Skowhegan firefighters worked together to rescue the man.
“It was a team effort — team work between both,” he said.
No one answered the phone at the Norridgewock Fire Department just before 6 p.m.
No further information was available Sunday evening.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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