MOUNT VERNON — An 11-year-old girl went tree climbing Saturday afternoon after a wild raccoon, but 45 feet up the pine tree and 6 feet out on a limb, she froze. The Mount Vernon Fire Department was called to the rescue. MVFD Capt. Barry Bowden said the station got a call at 4:50 p.m. to 707 Harcourt Road, where the girl was visiting a playmate.
The longest ladder the department has to climb on roofs is 25 feet. Bowden said he axed off some low branches in order to get the ladder in place against the tree trunk.
Lt. Jay Laymon went up the ladder, then climbed through the branches to where the girl was standing, unable to move due to fear. Laymon managed to tie a piece of webbing line to the girl, to catch her in the event she fell.
He then tied a second piece of webbing to the girl and started down the tree, branch by branch, helping the girl along the ladder. In 20 minutes she was safely down, nonchalant about the whole episode. The raccoon was farther out on the limb than the girl; firefighters did not rescue it.
