SAN LUIS OBISPO -- It was a complicated rescue in the dark of night.
"The patient had fallen approximately 25 feet down a steep embankment on Stenner Creek off of Chorro, approximately 50 feet away from any access point," said Rodger Maggio, San Luis Obispo City Fire Marshall.
Investigators describe the patient as a transient.
They say he was intoxicated and had just been dropped off by a taxi at the intersection of Chorro and Lincoln Streets.
The man fell as he tried to make his way down to the creek where he planned to spend the night.
When he slipped into the creek, he ended up in an area that was difficult for rescuers to reach.
Firefighters had to bring out the city's tiller ladder truck.
With the help of the truck's long ladder and a rope rescue system, they lifted him to safety in just 15 minutes.
"Without the use of the ladder truck it would have taken at least 45 minutes and numerous personnel to be able to extricate that victim from that area," said Maggio.
Wednesday night's rescue highlights a growing problem in San Luis Obispo.
Police say countless transients camp in the city's creeks.
"They tend to frequent the creeks on a regular basis," said Captain Chris Staley. "We have regular sweeps that we go through and check for camps and people spending time down there."
Camping anywhere in the city limits is illegal and those who do so anyway often tie up a number of resources.
