Something To Be Proud Of: Norfolk’s Rope Rescue Team

By Jimmy Powelzyk

Many Norfolk residents are unaware of a highly skilled and trained group of volunteers in our community: the members of the Northwest Rope Rescue Team, part of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department.

Six Norfolk men (“rope techs”) are currently part of this team. They are volunteer first responders who assist with rescues in the tri-state area of Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. The person in need of rescue may have, for example, been hiking on one of the area’s wilderness trails and slipped off a steep trail’s edge, may have taken a bad fall or had any number of other accidents that could result in broken bones, a head injury, lacerations, etc.

The rope team also assists when hikers simply become lost, possibly in the dark. One tool they use is the location app “What3Words.” It can help the team zero in on the lost individual as well as guide responders to the best driving and walking routes to assist in the rescue. The rope team also performs quite a few deceased person extractions.

There are two rope rescue teams in Connecticut. One, based out of Lakeville, is the Northwest Regional Rope Rescue Team. Its members come from the Cornwall, Lakeville, Sharon, Falls Village and Norfolk fire departments. The Norfolk rope team has been involved with it for 20 years. The other team is based in Riverton. There are four main caches of equipment stored in Lakeville, Norfolk, Riverton and Amenia, N.Y.

On average, the Northwest rope team responds to two or three serious calls a year. In 2024, there were nine calls overall. They mostly occur in the warmer months, but they do get winter calls at times.

Rope teams work alongside local first responders from the town requesting help. Eight to 16 rope techs from two to three towns usually respond. Each tech carries about 50 pounds of equipment. The majority of calls are on trails at low angle, non-steep terrain.

Members of the rope teams attend up to 20 rigorous training sessions every year. There were 16 new recruits last year in the Northwest and Riverton groups—a new generation stepping into the elite group of men and women who make up the rope teams. 

Some members have dedicated themselves to this volunteer role for decades. Norfolk’s Richard Byrne has been part of the team for 20 years.

The rope team volunteers have an amazing knowledge of local trails, such as the Appalachian Trail. They can figure the best way into a rescue area and the best way to extract someone efficiently and safely. A major extraction can take four to eight hours, while a less difficult one can take two to four hours.

The teams use the latest safety equipment recommended by the National Fire Protection Agency 2500 Fire Standard. Recently, the Norfolk fire department received a major local grant to purchase all new, necessary equipment for the local rope team.

Rope team members learn to use this lifesaving equipment at the Litchfield County Regional Fire School, located in Burrville. Norfolk Fire Marshall Keith Byrne is an instructor there in the Rope Rescue program. He notes that many rope team members are hikers who love the outdoors. He says they are used to heavy physical exertion and possess the strength required for this rescue work.

They also are willing, he points out, to leave their families at a moment’s notice and put their lives on the line each time they answer the call to help someone in trouble. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, they respond not only in the Norfolk community but also to emergencies in surrounding towns. In turn, these town’s first responders will come to Norfolk’s aid, when needed.

The members of the Rope Rescue Team are a truly special breed. Norfolk should be extremely proud of their dedication and selflessness and the fact that they are part of this community.

Editor’s Note: Powelzyk is a driver for the all-volunteer Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance.