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(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - For the third time in less than two weeks, Kamloops Fire Rescue has once again helped get someone out of a tough spot in the Peterson Creek area.

Kamloops Fire Rescue Platoon Capt. Dave Ferguson says the crew's rope team has responded to four tasks so far this year, and three of them have been at the Peterson Creek location, including one yesterday, April 2.

"It's up near the falls," Ferguson says, adding the rock face people tend to climb is on the east side of the canyon. "From the bottom looking up, it doesn’t look that bad, and then they get halfway and realize its substantial."

Yesterday it was another instance of someone with inappropriate climbing gear, Ferguson says, and that's been the case with every rope rescue he's attended so far this year.

Usually in the rope rescue situations at Peterson Creek, Ferguson says inexperience rock climbers will begin to climb up and then get into some soft rock about halfway. At that point, the rock is loose behind them and they can't go back down so they're virtually stuck until help arrives.

Last year, the fire department responded to four rope rescues, and it's unclear how many were in Peterson Creek.

"We do have a trained rope rescue team… but it is dangerous work," Ferguson says. "There are rocks that fall while crews are there."

He added that there are trails in the area that you can walk up and bypass the whole rock face, but people have been walking the creek. He says even if you walk the creek and end up at the rock face, if you're not an experienced climber, it's best to turn around.

"If you're not an experienced rock climber, then just go back and go up the trail," Ferguson says. "Just a little common sense would save us a lot of trouble."

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