When the North West Star caught up with three local firies and a trainer from Townsville they weren’t just enjoying the stunning view from the top.

The training involve firefighters rappelling down the rock face, simulating rescues and honing their vertical rescue skills.

It’s a core part of the “rescue” element of a firefighter’s role and will ensure local firefighters are ready, should a rescue of this nature happen in the Mount Isa area.

Bernard Foley, a station officer based in Townsville, and previously the technical rescue coordinator for the northern region, was conducting two-day training for rescue specialists in the Mount Isa region.

“These guys are specialist responders to incidents from vertical rescue through to confined space rescue and they are also part of a national deployment team for search and rescue,” Mr Foley said.

“All the equipment is locally based, our local rescue technicians in Mount Isa’s primary response equipment is exactly the same as what we’ve got in Townsville.”

Mr Foley said the primary response for any incident in the region would be the normal fire and rescue responders.

“Once those guys ascertain there is need for technical rescue support, they can request that support.”

The exercise we saw involved saw the simulation of a cliffside rescue of a climber.

“This is an area climbers use so there is plenty of potential for an incident here so we’re simulating a climber’s had a fall, stuck somewhere midway in their harness and our system pushes the (firies’) skills but would enable them to easily access and recover a person who had taken a fall either lowering them to ground or bring them back to the top,” Mr Foley said.

“We’re grateful to the QFES for allowing to conduct this training. It’s so important for staff to continually receive training at the highest level.”