Commissioner: Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Fallen man safely recovered, transported to hospital

FORSYTH, Ga. – On September 30, the female fighters at Lee Arrendale State Prison (LASP) were called to assist with a rescue at Raven Cliff Falls in Helen, Ga. Four inmate fighters assisted White County Fire Department, White County Emergency Medical Services, Helen Fire Department, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Aviation with the successful recovery of Dunwoody native Chris Tonderys.

“We are proud of the female firefighters at Lee Arrendale for their brave and selfless assistance in this rescue,” said Commissioner Bryson. “The goal of the inmate firefighter program is, first and foremost, to safely assist local communities with emergency situations.”

Toderys fell from the top of Raven Cliff Falls and suffered head trauma. The emergency personal traveled over two miles to reach him. The LASP firefighters assisted with safely placing him in a rescue basket and carrying him down from the falls to a safe area. The DNR aviation team then dropped a roughly 200 foot long rope to recover and transport Toderys via chopper to an area where another helicopter met up and transferred him to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center trauma center.

The operation took approximately four hours and a total of 25 people assisted. Using the long line, the short haul operation with DNR saved several hours on the rescue mission.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5248 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.