Dear CCC Membership,CCC Board representatives Phil Hoffmann and Jon Jones met with Lake Lure Fire Department (LLFD) and Chimney Rock State Park (CRSP) to discuss ways the climbing community could help with accidents within the bounds of existing policy and legislation. In short - ways to expedite the extraction of an accident victim without getting in the way, or taking on personal liability.  The meeting was specifically in response to the tragic accident of 1/2/2012 in which Bill McAfee fell to his death at the cereal buttress.One of the first things we did was complement the LLFD on the fast response (~25 minutes) for the first couple guys to get on the scene of the Bill McAfee scene and convey our appreciation to all parties involved for their help.  We also complemented the leadership the guys from LLFD provided on scene, which was clear and parsed out concise instruction to both the professional, and the amateur (climber) responder.We had the chance to explain about the accident and help the people there understand what happened from a climbers perspective.  We reiterated the point that it is the sole responsibility of the climbing party to know what climb they are on, and to be aware and attentive to their own safety.  We also were able to explain that the specific climb, 'Good Samaritan' in the section where Bill McAfee tragically fell without enough gear to prevent a ground fall is also truly a safe climb with proper gear to protect the wide crack.The major issue we want to deal with is how to shrink down the timeline from the 'victim is ready to move' stage, to the parking lot. One major hurdle currently, and one thing that will make a huge difference in getting out faster is better trails.  CRSP is working on remapping the main trails to get to the various climbing areas such that they are not so prone to erosion and large enough to get a ATV back there for emergency situations.  CRSP asked the CCC for manpower which we offered freely.Another way that we can focus on is carrying gear.  Rumbling bald is a very popular place to climb, so many times there are quite a few people around to volunteer in a time of crisis.  In a situation where there are several people available, instead of sending one "runner" back to the parking lot to show rescue personnel where to go, we can send as many climbers available so they can volunteer to help carry the stokes basket, wheel, and rigging equipment. LLFD made the point that they legally cannot actually ask for people to help carry stuff, however if people volunteer they will likely be used.  This helps ensure that moving the patient isn't waiting around for equipment to get there. We asked about the rules and regulations for rigging rope systems to help move the patient quickly over rough terrain. As you might be aware, at the scene of the most recent accident, several climbers built a tensioned rope system to aid in getting the patient out of the cereal buttress area quickly that was not able to be used.  In short, there are so many rules and regulations that helping with rigging systems ahead of time without direct supervision and instruction from rescue personel is really not a feasible way to help.We also discussed stashing equipment, practicing extraction from various areas as rumbling bald and involving climbers and rescue personnel in that training, and putting some information in the kiosk at the parking lot.The meeting with LLFD and CRSP was overall a receptive and collaborative event.  The ideas and concepts we put into place at CRSP could be used as an example for other places as well.Thanks for your time,-Jon Jones-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Jon JonesCarolina Climbers CoalitionSouth Mountains RepresentativePisgah National Forest &Chimney Rock State Park