When a young Scottish Terrier fell down a cliff and became stuck in a blackberry bush, Orcas Fire and Rescue knew just what to do.

Maggie, a four-year-old Scottie, took a 10-foot tumble behind the family home and became stranded on a rock ledge 70 feet above the water in the Rosario area.

Her owner, Nancy Wrightsman, called Orcas Fire and Rescue for help around 9 p.m. on April 3.

Responders used well-practiced rope rescue operations and successfully retrieved Maggie from her precarious position. EMT Rachel Harvey, who is also a Veterinary Technician for Dr. Ron Schuler, performed an on-site assessment and determined Maggie was in sound medical condition.

“I am proud of the performance of our emergency responders,” said Incident Commander, Captain Chad Kimple. “This was a real world test of our Technical Rescue Team’s capabilities and could have easily been a child. The rescue techniques we used are the same.”

Orcas Fire’s Technical Rescue Team was founded in 2006 to provide rescue capabilities to address the unique rescue situations presented with diverse island topography, vehicle entrapment, and other challenging incidents. The program is currently under the leadership of Lieutenant Rich Harvey.