Coroner gets taste of gorge rescue work
It wasn’t a typical day for Dr. William Liang.
As a coroner with Hamilton and Haldimand counties, the family physician responded to a call of a body discovered in the Niagara escarpment.
“I was holding myself on to trees and, in retrospect, I realized it was dangerous as I could have slipped down the slope,” he said, recalling the steep and rocky terrain.
Determined not to become a liability at a future investigation, Liang traded his lab coat for climbing gear this week to work in the Niagara Gorge.
He was among 15 people who underwent a unique training program hosted by the Niagara Parks Police High Angle River Team.
“It has been great fun,” Liang said Wednesday as he learned the correct way to load a stretcher into a helicopter at Niagara Helicopters.
The three-day course teaches participants how to handle themselves on mountainous terrain including rappelling, as well as how to safely get on and off helicopters and rescue boats.
The goal is to educate emergency personnel on what to expect if they’re called upon to retrieve a body found in a waterway or down a deep slope.
“We do this every year so that all the investigators and people who respond to these type of calls can work together and do so safely,” said Const. Shawn Black, of Niagara Parks Police.
This year’s class included members of the Niagara Parks Police, Niagara Regional Police and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Chris Thomson, a member of the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group based in Borden, Ont., said the training promotes inter-operability between emergency services personnel.
The specialized reserve component of the Canadian Armed Forces patrols the remote coastal and inland regions of northern Ontario.
“We inter-operate with the OPP and various police services so it’s good that we do programs like this,” Thomson said.
The training wraps up Thursday with a simulated recovery, where specific evidence is located, documented and recovered.