On Tuesday morning, Nov. 18, Randall County Commissioners approved a plan to bring in world-renowned Ropes that Rescue (RTR) to conduct specialized training for Randall County firefighters and others around and beyond this area, as requested by Randall County Fire Chief Joe Koch.
The leader of the RTR group, who is well known in rescue circles, is Reed Thorne, from Sedona, Arizona. He and his son, Pete, have agreed to come to Canyon to conduct a training session which will be held partly in Palo Duro Canyon and partly inside the city of Canyon on May28 – June 2, 2026.
On the Ropes that Rescue website, it states that Thorne has been involved in the teaching of techniques relative to the vertical realm since the early 1970s. In Southern California, his first activities dealing with rope were with the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, where Thorne became a Hundred Peak Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Section leader through training with Sierra Club’s Leadership Section.
He eventually moved into rope rescue instruction under nationally recognized U.S. National Park SAR Ranger Butch Farabee at the Grand Canyon in Arizona between 1981 and 1986. Farabee is credited with having shaped Thorne’s early years as a rope instructor.
In 1989, Thorne was instrumental in the preliminary testing of belay techniques, alongside John Dill of Yosemite SAR and Arnor Larson of the British Columbia Council of Technique Rescue in BC, Canada. These techniques are among the most extensive ever attempted by a volunteer lay-researchers.
Koch said Thorne was excited about coming to work in the second largest canyon in the U.S., Palo Duro Canyon, and helped the process go through. Koch said he had attended one of his training sessions in 2019 along with a colleague, and he had been trying ever since to get the training here.
“With the help of Randall County Commission and City of Canyon, we were finally able to get it budgeted and funded,” Koch said. “It’s like getting Henry Ford in to train about automobiles. That is his niche, and he is the expert and has even designed equipment that we use.”
“Our class was full within 36 hours of posting it,” Koch added, noting it will be a lifesaver for many rescue groups and individuals living in the area. Local firefighters hope to make it an annual training, as long as Thorne is willing and able, and his son will most likely take over his business.
“Once they pass the training, they will be able to seek certification by Texas Commission on Fire Protection,” Koch said.
Recently, Randall County Fire was requested to assist with a rescue in Crosby County, where multiple agencies worked to rescue an individual who had fallen into a canyon after slipping off the caprock on private land.
RTR offers instructor-level rope rescue training to structural or wildland firefighters, Emergency Medical Services and wilderness search and rescue teams. According to Koch, the group brings specialized wilderness rope training to Randall County, and the RTR guidance could be vital in such areas as Palo Duro Canyon State Park and to fight prairie fires that plague our area and much of Texas.
“So far, over 24 people have signed up, and we have a waiting list,” Koch said.
He said that the cost is $250 per person and pays for the entire training. “We have three of our guys who are going to do training,” he said. “Then we have people from Grand Prairie to Wichita Falls and Colorado who are interested and ready to pay their fee.”
Training will be a week long, and it will be the first time such training has been offered in the Panhandle, according to Koch. The ones being trained will be able to utilize their skills and help others work toward getting their own certificates of training.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: World-renowned Ropes that Rescue expert to lead training in Canyon
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
