Teen rescued from Vernon rooftop after mental health crisis: RCMP

A young person suffering from a mental health crisis on a Vernon rooftop was safely taken to hospital on Wednesday.

Shortly after 3 a.m., Wednesday, a teen climbed to the top of a building in the 2900-block of 28th Avenue in Vernon. RCMP observed she was experiencing a mental health crisis.

“To ensure her safety, as well as that of emergency responders, police shut off power to the building and cordoned off an area of the downtown core,” RCMP said in a press release.

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“For three hours, officers, including an RCMP Crisis Negotiator, continued to communicate with the girl and employed crisis intervention and de-escalation tactics to prevent her from harming herself.”

At approximately 6 a.m., police apprehended the young person under the Mental Health Act. With the assistance of Vernon Fire Rescue Services, she was helped from the building and taken to the hospital for medical assessment.

“The skills, training, and experience of our officers in helping people in crisis, ultimately prevented what could have been a very different outcome. It exemplifies the exceptional work and dedication we see every day from them and other first responders in our community,” Supt.  Shawna Baher, Officer in Charge of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP said in a press release.

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“It highlights how prevalent mental health issues are in our community and why it’s so important that we continue to advocate for additional mental health resources be in place and readily available to support and assist frontline responders at calls such as this.”