Parks Canada staff members have captured some amazing images on their helmet cams.
The cameras, which were introduced this summer, are worn by visitor safety specialists in Banff National Park.
One of the videos shows Jonathan Lytton and a friend who got into trouble while climbing on Cascade Mountain.
"The last thing I do remember was climbing fairly confidently, then the next thing I remember is waking up next to my partner and realizing something bad happened," says Lytton.
A rock fall caused Lytton to plummet 18 metres (60'). Luckily he was wearing his helmet or his injuries could have been worse. Even with the helmet he ended up with several breaks in his back, shattering his heel, and internal injuries.
Lytton and his climbing partner had a cell phone and phoned the emergency number for Parks Canada. A helicopter was used to evacuate Lytton off the mountain and take him to a waiting ambulance.
Steve Holeczi and Aaron Beardmore were part of the rescue that day and their helmet cam documented it all. The camera records all the rescue video, audio, and communications with the emergency dispatcher.
Beardmore says the pictures provide valuable feedback to rescuers and those in training. "[Before these cameras,] I got a stack of paper files and you go through those trying to extrapolate information from that – and it was useful – but hard to get a real picture. Now we have a real picture."
Parks Canada says the footage also benefits rescue survivors.
"Seeing it a little bit more objectively and seeing what they as rescuers were doing, and also just seeing the situation, it provided some closure for me," says Lytton.
Officials hope to share many of the rescue videos with the public. The plan is to post them on YouTube so more people will understand what goes into a rescue and how to be safer in the mountains.
For more information about mountain safety in national parks, click on the Parks Canada link.
