Gadsden Firefighters Complete Rope Rescue Training at Noccalula Falls: Photo Gallery 

GADSDEN — Firefighters from the Gadsden Fire Department spent Thursday, October 9th and Friday, October 10th, engaged in intensive rope rescue training exercises at Noccalula Falls Park. The two-day session focused on both classroom instruction and hands-on field training, designed to certify firefighters in Awareness and Operations levels of high-angle and rope rescue.

The specialized training aims to prepare firefighters for complex rescue operations in extreme or hard-to-reach environments — such as cliffs, steep ravines, or high-rise structures — where traditional rescue methods are not feasible. Participants practiced skills in safely lowering and raising rescuers and patients from ledges and vertical surfaces, emphasizing proficiency in patient care and recovery in hazardous conditions.

High-angle rope rescue, typically defined as work performed on slopes of 60 degrees or greater, requires precise coordination, technical skill, and extensive safety knowledge. During the course, firefighters learned to use a variety of specialized equipment and systems, including mechanical advantage pulleys, rappelling and belay devices, and Stokes baskets for patient transport.

Training Modules and Objectives

• Fundamentals: Rope rescue basics such as knot tying, anchor construction, and gear usage.

• Systems and Equipment: Operation of raising and lowering systems and pulley-based mechanical advantage setups.

• Rescue Techniques: Patient packaging, pick-offs from precarious positions, and safe litter transport.

• Scene Management: Establishing command, maintaining communication, and ensuring safety on-site.

• Safety and Self-Rescue: Implementing edge protection and personal rescue techniques for emergency situations.

• Hands-On Scenarios: Simulated rescues under realistic conditions to build teamwork and decision-making under pressure.

Following classroom sessions, firefighters took to the training tower to practice vertical movement and rope maneuvers before progressing to field exercises along the Noccalula Falls Gorge trail. In a simulated rescue, teams lowered rescuers from the cliff edge to the trail below, executing controlled descents and patient recovery operations in a wooded, steep terrain environment.

Later in the afternoon, the training moved to the area beside the iconic 90-foot waterfall, where firefighters rappelled down the cliff face into the gorge below — a demanding exercise testing both technical precision and mental focus.

The training resumed Friday with additional fieldwork and certification evaluations. Exercises like these help ensure firefighters remain proficient and ready to respond to real-world emergencies where lives may depend on rapid, skilled response.

The department emphasized that continuing education and specialized certification are core parts of its mission to protect the Gadsden community and surrounding areas.

A gallery of photos from the training is available below, showcasing firefighters in action during the high-angle exercises at Noccalula Falls. Photos by Tony Hathcock .