Souris fire chief calls for warning signs after man falls off cliff

The fire chief in Souris, P.E.I. wants better signage in the town to warn people about the risk of falling over seaside cliffs.

Last weekend, a man was rescued from the bottom of a cliff north ofSourisHarbour, after being spotted by kayakers.

"It's accidents like this that always seem to refresh our memory and it's probably a good idea to put up signs," says fire Chief Colin LaVie.

The rescue

The cliff where the man fell is next to BayviewLodge, a private nursing home. Staff at the lodge say the man had been there Saturday to visit a relative, and had gone for a walk alone along the cliffs around 4:30 p.m.

That evening, two people in kayaks out in the harbour found theman sprawled on the rocks, and called 911 at about 6:45 p.m. LaViesaid the only way to reach the man was by boat.

"He was conscious so the firemen put him on the back board and put him on the boat and took him intoSourisHarbour where Island EMS was waiting," LaViesaid.

LaVie estimates the man fell 15 to 20 metres and landed on rocks at the bottom of the cliff.

Call for warning signs

LaViesaid this is not the first time someone has fallen off acliff in the area, and he plans to approach town council to ask about putting up more warningsigns.

"Will it stop it? Who knows. But it will definitely help," LaViesaid.

Some of the land along the cliffs is privately owned, while some of it is public. LaVie says he'd like to see warning signs posted on both.

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