VERNON, B.C. — A skydiver is OK after dangling unconscious from power lines for more than 30 minutes near Vernon, B.C.
RCMP Const. Richard Lausman says the man, whose name hasn’t been released, began his jump normally but blacked out for unexplained reasons when he was about 500 metres above the ground.
The victim’s parachute then tangled in hydro wires and he swung like a pendulum, nearly 10 metres above the heads of rescuers.
The arc of the swing slammed the still-unconscious man into a power pole, leaving him with various injuries.
Hydro crews had to cut electricity to the area so firefighters could reach the man and safely lower him to a waiting ambulance.
Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.
Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.
He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.
