First responders from Nanaimo Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance Service, which included an air ambulance, responded to a rescue at Piper's Lagoon on Sunday, June 1. (submitted photo)

By Alex Rawnsley

rescue

‘She had multiple fractures:’ woman rescued after rocky fall at Nanaimo’s Pipers Lagoon

Jun 2, 2025 | 10:09 AM

NANAIMO — A woman remains in hospital after a high fall off a rocky cliff.

Emergency crews from Nanaimo Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance Service, along with RCMP, were called to Pipers Lagoon on Sunday, June 1 just before 3 p.m. in response to a person in the park slipping and falling a considerable distance from a cliff.

Fire Rescue assistant chief Troy Libbus told NanaimoNewsNOW the woman, in her 40’s or early 50’s, was seriously injured after falling to the park’s rocky shore.

“Assisting with ambulance, Nanaimo Fire Rescue went in to put the patient on a spine board…to get her back. A helicopter was called in to transport her, I know she was transferred to NRGH and there was talk about transferring her to Victoria but she had multiple fractures.”

Libbus said the call was initially paged out as a high-angle rescue, requiring considerable resources to be sent to the north Nanaimo scene.

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Once there, conditions were favourable to access the woman.

“The tide was out, but because it’s quite rocky, and we do want to stabilize the patient, it took many resources to slowly bring her out. We had some good patient care there to get her to BC Ambulance then they brought her into where the helicopter was and then transferred her from there.”

Libbus said they have 26 members throughout the department who are specially trained for high-angle rescues and other tricky situations.

While their skills weren’t required this time, it’s an area crews regularly refine.

“They train at least minimum of eight times a year, up to 10 and then the whole department actually…has specific training to transport patients, to lower patients, so there’s quite specific training for rope rescue.”

Libbus added despite the strong response, involving half a dozen different vehicles and apparatus, standard procedure always ensures at least one vehicle and crew is left behind to provide coverage elsewhere.

Truck four based in Chase River stayed behind, with the city only somewhat shorthanded for a minimal amount of time.

“In this case, we have a high angle technicians throughout the whole department, so when all the resources converge on this call, the captain will just take the technicians and the operations people they need, and then we’ll send resources right back.”

The park was closed during the rescue operation.

First responders initially staged towards the northern edge of the beach, before moving to the southern edge of the pathway after the air ambulance arrived. (submitted photo)

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