Rescue crews race against time to save man hanging by a rope in Calgary’s Fish Creek

One call led Calgary police to a man who was mere moments from slipping away — the plea for help launching a challenging search and, ultimately, a life-saving effort. 

Officers were called to Fish Creek Provincial Park in early May by someone who spotted a man walking with a rope around his neck. 

A race against the clock with no specific address to go on, no easy-to-find landmarks and dozens of trees and foliage obscuring any view from the sky.

“Fish Creek is one of the largest parks in North America. It’s over 3,000 acres, so we had to figure out where this was taking place,” Calgary police deputy chief Cliff O’Brien says. “In a large park like that, how do you say where you are? It’s not like you have street signs. And, obviously, we’re concerned for this person’s welfare.”

The Real Time Operations Centre managed the call. Relying on coordinates on the caller’s phone, they sent data to the HAWCS crew flying overhead, who then relayed information to officers on the ground.

When officers found the man, he was hanging over water, partially submerged and unconscious.

“One of the officers shed her duty belt and entered into the water so that she could help get to this subject. The other officer was able to cut down the victim, and then they were able to drag the subject onto the bank, where they began CPR,” O’Brien says.

Several minutes later, the man began breathing on his own.

“The last we heard is that the victim is alive and is doing as well as can be expected,” he says.

Calls like this for O’Brien, a police officer for nearly three decades, are still impressive, still emotional.

“When I hear about cases like this, it makes me super proud,” he says. “I know that every day our officers go out and they demonstrate professionalism and commitment to our community. Often it’s behind-the-scenes. Often it’s with very little fanfare, and sometimes it’s even at their own expense.

“And so when I hear about calls like this, when I hear about how humble our members are, to deflect the praise to the larger team, it makes me very proud.”

O’Brien says the united endeavour includes the caller who summoned help.

“So, one of the great things about living and working in Calgary is we have a community that cares for each other. And so not only seeing something but then doing something about it by calling to get some help, again, just makes me proud to be living and working here. I think it’s amazing that they took the time to do that. Without a doubt, had they not done that, this victim would be deceased.”

It’s also rewarding for police who far too often arrive when it’s too late to do much.

“Anytime we can get there and actually make a difference … getting somebody to a hospital where they can get the help they need to move on with their life and be healthy … is great,” he says. “In this case, it’s obviously pretty impactful that we have police officers that are literally cutting the victim down and doing CPR to save (their) life. It’s inspiring for me.”