Don’t take risks to get your Insta-worthy pic, pleads search and rescue team

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE – A video circulating on social media has prompted the Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue team to issue a safety advisory.

The video shows a young man sitting atop Crescent Falls — pretty close to the water channel.

Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue team president Eric Brownrigg says photos like these are no Kodak moment.

“Folks just like to take that risk and think it’s the coolest thing to do and, ‘Hey, look at me, I’ve done this thing,’ but they don’t know they’re putting themselves at risk and potentially putting my team at risk.”

Brownrigg says based on the volume of water, if the person would have slipped, they would have dropped into what’s called recirculations at the bottom of the falls.

“They likely would’ve drowned. And given that it’s the spring melt right now, there’s no guarantee we would’ve found the individual. They might’ve been washed downstream,” he explained.

And had this person fallen in, Brownrigg says other people would’ve likely put themselves at risk trying to save them and that could’ve resulted in more deaths.

He adds getting a team to the area is challenging, should a rescue be needed, as there’s no cell service and they’re stationed very far away.

“We’ll probably be a good hour to two hours to get to you. And to get [cell] coverage you have to leave the park and go back to the highway.”

He suggests people look for their Instagram-worthy shots from a safe distance.