Fayette County, WV (WOAY) – BASE jumpers will leap from the New River Gorge Bridge on Saturday, parachuting into the gorge below with the goal of landing at Fayette Station. But when jumpers miss the landing zone, rescue crews and medical teams will be ready to respond.
According to Jan-Care Ambulance, around 400 jumpers typically make between 1,000 and 1,200 jumps during Bridge Day, with five or six jumpers in the air at any given time.
Jason Powell, a BASE jumper from Salt Lake City, Utah, has been jumping since 1999 but will be participating in Bridge Day for the first time. He visited Fayette Station on Friday morning to survey the landing area and prepare for his jump.
“The landing is going to be the crux of it all,” Powell said. “I feel really good about it. I mean, this is a very popular event. Many, many, many friends that have jumped this for, you know, 30 years and whatnot. So I’m pretty familiar with it.”
Paul Seamann, director of Jan-Care Ambulance, said not every jumper will reach the designated landing zone.
“If you look around this beautiful gorge, they are going to try to land right here in this landing zone and maybe about 60, 70% will be able to do that,” Seamann said.
The rugged terrain, trees and river surrounding the landing zone create challenges for jumpers who land off target. Rescue teams will be positioned throughout the gorge, while Jan-Care will operate an inflatable medical tent at Fayette Station to treat injuries.
National Park Service boats will be available to rescue jumpers who land in the New River. With Bridge Day taking place in mid-October, cold water temperatures are another concern.
“Hypothermia can be a risk, and so if they jump into the water, then this hospital tent will also give them a place to warm up,” Seamann said.
Jumpers who become caught in trees may require a more complicated rescue. The Fayette County Rescue Team will handle those operations, using ropes and climbing equipment to reach suspended jumpers and lower them to the ground.
“For those that land in the trees, the canopy of the chute will catch the trees. They may be 50 or 60 feet in the air … They will be shooting lines up into tall branches … so that it speeds getting rescuers up to them, hook into the parachute harness, unclip from the chute, lower them back down,” Seamann said.
Injured jumpers can then receive care at Jan-Care’s medical tent, where personnel can evaluate injuries, provide treatment and arrange transportation to a hospital when necessary.
“We can treat people, give them I.V. fluids, bandage injuries, assess them, and then we provide that EMS transportation out from the bottom,” Seamann said.
Jan-Care plans to have 52 personnel and 18 emergency vehicles supporting Bridge Day.
“It is our biggest operation of the year,” Seamann said. “Most BASE jumpers that come here are totally amazed at the amount of resources we expend to keep them safe.”
Jan-Care’s medical coverage will also extend to spectators on the bridge, with crews prepared to respond to emergencies ranging from chest pain to allergic reactions caused by bee stings.
“So no matter where you’re at, you are probably closer to an ambulance here than any place else in the state,” Seamann said.
