The Penticton Fire Department were called in to perform a ladder rescue after an elevator failure led to people being stranded on the third floor of their new home.

鈥淭here were two homeowners on the third floor, their elevator is out of service, and their stairs are being constructed right now,鈥� said Captain Ray Simpson. 鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 able to exit the building, so we used a ladder to get them to the roof, through a skylight, and then extricated them from the building using our ladder truck.鈥�

At around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, the fire department got a non-emergency call from a residence on Lakeside Road. Firefighters determined that their ladder truck would be necessary to get people down. With the home still under construction, a ladder was sent up to the third floor to get the trapped residents up onto the roof, where they could be safely taken back down to earth.

鈥淭his is not a usual thing,鈥� said Simpson. 鈥淲e heard their elevator had stopped working on them, so we came down to assess the situation. Because of the elevation change with the lake, it鈥檚 very hard to get ground ladders to them. We put a firefighter in through a window on the third floor, he assessed the situation, we gained access to the roof, and then removed them with the ladder. The perfect training scenario actually, but a real rescue at the same time. 鈥�

The quick and calm response from the Penticton Fire Department was greatly appreciated by the rescued residents.

鈥淚鈥檓 really glad to be on solid ground,鈥� said homeowner Viviana Odwin. 鈥淭he officers were fantastic, I鈥檓 not the best with heights and they really calmed me down and convinced me I could do this. Good thing it wasn鈥檛 yesterday, it was really windy.鈥�

Now that she鈥檚 safe, Odwin has a few thoughts on what they鈥檒l be doing next.

鈥淲ell I think the best thing is to get the elevator fixed,鈥� said Odwin. 鈥淎nd then make some sort of donation to the fire department, maybe for their Christmas party.鈥�

With files from Jim Elliot.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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