6/22/2023 0 Comments Jim thorpe waterfall hike![]() ![]() If they have an emergency they have to pull from another town,” Yaich said. “With manpower the way it is today, when you pull mutual aid you’re a detriment to that town. Yaich said the demands of a call at Glen Onoko leave other towns open if there is an emergency. The decreasing number of volunteer firefighters both in Carbon County and around Pennsylvania is well-known. He said the most recent rescue in 2018 required 50 firefighters. When you have six guys carrying the Stokes basket it’s time consuming and very hazardous on the first responders,” Yaich said. “People think we just walk up there, pick somebody up and walk them back down. Jim Thorpe Fire Chief Vince Yaich said the rescues have become more complicated because of washouts, and it takes two to five hours for firefighters to deploy ropes and conduct a rescue. You have to cycle people out for their own health and safety.” “You can’t have the same 4-5 people doing the entire rescue. ![]() “It takes upward of 20 people or more to do a serious rescue out of the falls trail,” Nalesnik said. The rescues take even longer because of the time needed to treat and carry the patient. It takes three hours just to hike the round trip up the falls and down an easier switchback trail nearby. When someone is injured at the falls and calls 911, it’s up to volunteer firefighters and ambulances to respond.Ĭarbon County Emergency Management Agency director Mark Nalesnik says the rescues are a unique challenge for volunteer firefighters. Rescues at Glen Onoko are very common during the hot summer months. A petition to keep the falls open got more than 4.500 signatures in less than a day. The response from hikers has been extremely vocal. And also, the trail itself has just been deteriorating from overuse,” Beahm said. “The justification is really to protect human life, reduce injuries, protect first responders. The decision was made to protect hikers and the rescuers who respond when they are injured, according to Mike Beahm, Northeast Region land management supervisor for the commission. ![]() Now the path is eroding, making it more dangerous.Ĭiting safety concerns, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has decided to close the falls trail permanently, effective May 1. Since 1977 at least eight people have died as a result of accidents at the falls, many more have been injured while walking up or down the falls trail. Glen Onoko Falls’ beauty makes it appealing, but it can also be deadly. ![]()
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