Spokane Fire Department practicing aerial evacuations Wednesday at Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park goers shouldn’t be alarmed if they see firefighters and trucks Wednesday at the Numerica SkyRide gondolas.

The Spokane Fire Department’s technical rescue team is practicing aerial evacuations at the rides, said Mike Forbes, special operations coordinator at the department.

The enclosed SkyRide cabins shut down this time each year for inspections and maintenance, and the fire department takes that opportunity to train for the unlikely event the rides break down and riders need to be rescued from the cabins, Forbes said.

When open to the public, the cabins maneuver between Riverfront Park and the Monroe Street Bridge, allowing riders to take in Spokane Falls.

Forbes said the rescue team’s four rope instructors are undergoing training, and a couple department vehicles will be on scene Wednesday at Riverfront. They started training Tuesday.

He said every aerial tramway requires a rescue plan, and the fire department has been practicing at the gondolas for at least 20 years.