Rock Point Overlook
Nelson County, Virginia It’s been almost two months since a gunman shot two people on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Tim Davis a Charlottesville DJ, died a few days later, the other, Christina Floyd, was seriously injured, but did recover. Authorities say Davis was either thrown or fell hundreds of feet down below the overlook. His rescue was very difficult and even more so in the dark.
“We wanted to come back in the daylight and practice the rescue again to improve our response should we face something like this again, said Wintergreen Fire & Rescue Chief, Curtis Sheets. The squads practiced Tuesday morning in thick fog with visibilities near zero, adding to the authenticity of many mountain rescues.
Rescue members pull tension on a rope and rigging used to pull a basket up from the mountainside overlook. Wintergreen Fire & Rescue Chief, Curtis Sheets, stands near the marking on the pavement where the shootings took place on April 6, 2009. A squad member scales the overgrown, slick and steep face of the mountainside below Rock Point Overlook. Traffic cones and emergency strobes section off the area where squads practiced Tuesday morning along the parkway.
“We practice a similar scenario like this once every month to keep our skills sharp, Chief Sheets continued.
Chief Sheets points to the area below where the victims were rescued after the April shootings. A look below the overlook where Chief Sheets is pointing. Hundreds of boulders removed during the construction of the BRP are scattered below along the mountainside. Squad members take a break after the first practice run, just as the fog begins clearing Tuesday morning. The crews performed the rescue again, trying to improve their time. A specially designed hoist attached to the front of Wintergreen's Mobile Command Post makes mountainside rescues much easier than before.
