Cliff Climber Stuck on Vasquez Rocks Saved by Firefighters

A climber on the cliff of Vasquez rocks in the Agua Dulce found himself in a dangerous situation with no way up and no safe way down.

"We saw the victim on the rocks. You could tell he was in a precarious situation," said Tom Roberts, the LA County fire air operations pilot.

"He had gotten himself in a spot that he could not get up or down,” said Brad Idol, a LA County firefighter.

Roberts would have to hold the helicopter in a stable hover to safely rescue the victim.

"There was a little bit of wind that made it a little more challenging,” Roberts said.

The county's Sikorsky black hawk helicopters are built to hold a 1000-gallon water tank to fight fires and are rigged with a 280-foot hoist cable for rescues.

"You never know what you're going to get,” Roberts said. “It can seem really light then it gets really hectic and challenging situations."

In this case, the climber was stuck in a very small space.

"He looked like he was in a little cave almost,” said Sean Kinser, a paramedic for the LA County firefighters, "[He was] in a spot where he couldn't go any further."

"We opted for the downside rescuer, Sean, to stay on the hoist hook, not come off," Idol said.

"They positioned the copter over and got me right behind him,” said Kinser. “I was able to get the rescue strap around him and I told him stay put, stay calm, let's get you out.”

Eventually, the firefighters successfully rescued the climber from hazardous conditions.

"We were able to bring the victim up into the aircraft and then land very close by,” Idol said.

"It’s something to be proud of,” Roberts said. “I think one of the best things you can do is try to help the people of LA County."

"We were able to get him out of harm's way,” Idol said. “That is a very at the end of the day it's a very good feeling."