SILT HAPPENS #01-3
Content by Bego Gerhart (1T836) --- HTML by Frank Mendonca (1T805) using Microsoft FrontPage
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2001-
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M- 8 J- 6 [32] 01- 19 5- 8- 01 Busted Knee at the Tea Cup Mill Creek Having fun at the Tea Cup, near the Powerdam, this guy banged up his knee. All the well rehearsed parts arrived shortly: Fire Dept with a ladder and SAR with a Stokes litter and some rope. Archie and TJ fixed the subject up, Frank packaged him in the litter and we pulled the litter up the inclined ladder to the canyon rim. Sweet. Comments: The Ladder Trick is Slick. Beware- all
firefighters think any rope is theirs. GCSAR Training An instructive outing with map, compass and GPS while some remained at the Laptop to learn computer mapping. Two teams started following routes that Frank had downloaded into the GPS hand sets. At waypoint 4 we had to back track 2 waypoints. Then go to a new coordinate that we had to write into the GPSs ourselves. Then determine the sunrise at that waypoint for the next morning. Then, Frank said all the GPS satellites in the sky crashed. So we had to find the last waypoint by map and compass only (very near the vegetables and donuts). Cool. 01- 20 5- 11- 01 Biker ankle SRBT A cell phone call. Female doctor "knew it was broken." Got some morphine. We did our usual thing. Comments: 01- 21 5- 11- 01 ATV wreck Hell's Revenge Up on a top by "2 pools" They gave us a GPS reading which was transferred to the Slickrock Bike Trail photo-map cuz it has degrees, minutes and seconds cleanly around the border. The coordinates landed right on a piece of Hell's Revenge way out there over by the Black Hole. Near Mtn View Cave. And they corresponded with Charlie Well's waypoint 17, how cool is that? But, this Ops was 10-22d just as we revved up cuz the subject rode out in a jeep. Comments: This would have been a fun GPS "GoTo." 01- 22 5- 19- 01 Biker Down Kane Creek Road A guy riding a 3 wheel bike fell off it and down the embankment. Climber Dean Potter and his belayer were first there (after rappelling 200 feet down The Tombstone) and brought him up the slope to the road and made him comfortable. Comments: GCSAR was not needed. 01- 23 5- 25- 01 01-239 - Arches NP (UT) - Search and Rescue From Jim Webster, Arches Chief Ranger, in the NPS Morning Report: On May 25th, a group of 40 college students and professors from Juniata College in Pennsylvania went on a hike in a rugged backcountry section of the park. Several members of the group began exhibiting the symptoms of heat exhaustion following a climb out of the steep, 800-foot Colorado River canyon. The trip leader decided that the group could not descend back into the canyon because the route was too steep and exposed, so he lead them cross county to another canyon where descent was easier. More members of the group became ill from heat and lack of fluids, and two became lost. The leader made a 911 cell phone call at 12:30 p.m. and reported the group's situation. A multi-agency search and rescue mission was launched which eventually involved 37 people from Arches and Canyonlands, St. Mary's Air Care, and Grand County SAR, EMS and Sheriff's Office. Although a number of the students were suffering from various degrees of heat exhaustion, they were able to walk out of the canyon under their own power. Three required rescue from the canyon, including one in serious condition who had to be medevaced by helicopter; all three were hospitalized. Searchers found the two missing people just as the last heat victim was evacuated from the canyon. The high temperature for the day was 99 degrees. The three students who were hospitalized were all released later that evening. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 5/30] Comments: Overheard: "This event could have been a disaster very easily." There is a "Got Water?" program in the schools and around town, all about taking enuff water and if you get lost, stay put, Hug A Tree. The whole recreational industry is pushing fluids pretty well. Some folks just don't get the message AND don't know about large mammals in the big heat. Be prepared. Trip Leaders: Decision points about the welfare of your group, given the clients abilities, the terrain and the weather, are what Risk Management is all about. Always have some plans B, one of which is a prudent retreat. Another would be to select a shady hike on a blistering hot day. Responders: 37 people worked on this. Care Flight gets extra credit. 00- 24 5- 27- 01 Delicate Arch Reported as 10 elderly subjects at Delicate Arch with heat exhaustion. Need fluids bad. Alot of energy started to mobilize with a call like that. The big issue being transportation. We were 10- 22d just when leaving the Shed. Comments: How DO you get 10 people from Delicate Arch to safety on a hot day?? Hmmm... There were a number of local rescue people on the Daily that day. Time off. Responders: Nancy, Jeff, Dave, Dick, Jim, Kevin 01- 25 5- 27- 01 Fallen Man Willow Basin Dino Tracks La Sal Mtns Reported as a fall victim having trouble breathing. Nancy sent the Ranger and 2 ATVs cuz the subject was said to be off the end of a dirt road. 10-22d before arriving cuz the subject was being transported by private vehicle to ambulance. Comments: 01- 26 5- 30- 01 Rock Rescue Arches Natural Park Michael and Martin got up on the fin by the Devil's Garden Picnic Area and couldn't get down. Martin had injured his ankle when he almost fell off the fin of rock. Rangers responded and paged GCSAR also. All the local rock tech folks responded. We all rigged and fussed and strung rope and stuff and down they came. Comments: Hurray Arches Dispatch. Responders: From GCSAR- Mandy, Bego, Rex, Sam, Matt, Frank, Jim, Bob From the Parks- Jim Webster, Steve Swanke, Murray Shoemaker, George Paiva, Karen McJones, Gary Salamacha, Heather Voster, Rock Smith Here's one for the Moab Fire Club; 01-235 - Denali NP (AK) 20,320 feet high - Rescue Anchorage fireman Mark Hall was evacuated by helicopter from the 14,200-foot ranger camp the next day. Hall, who was a member of a guided expedition that began its climb on May 19th, was suffering from a lung infection, pulmonary edema, and acute mountain sickness when he reached the ranger camp on the evening of the 20th. Rangers at the camp treated him with oxygen and altitude medications, but he remained in serious condition and an air evacuation was considered necessary. The park's Lama helicopter picked him up and flew him to the Kahiltna base camp, where he was transferred to a LifeGuard helicopter and flown to Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Hall, who is president of the Anchorage Firefighters Union, was dedicating his climb to the memory of firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. 01- 27 6- 3- 01 Flying Motorcycle Rider Oowah Lake Road Young Zane was on a motorcycle (for the first-ish time) and failed to switch back when he came to a switchback. Big Air. Aspen tree. Plop. Shoulda whacked his ownself but broke his leg instead. By the time GCSAR and EMS arrived, Marie McGann had a blanket and oxygen going. EMS fuss with a traction device. Lotsa folks around to carry him up to the ambulance. EMS elected to fly Zane to Grand Junction direct from up there at the Geyser Pass Road Loop Road jct. Coordinates were given out. Care Flight made a big dust when it landed. The pilot had spotted the little strobes put out by Chris and Jeff. Comments: Zane said later that Marie's simple act
of holding his hand was the best comfort. 01- 28 6- 6- 01 Busted British Biker Babe Porcupine Single Track Something, probably loose rock, sent this gal off the trail and over a 10 foot cliff. Messed up her smile and head. Did lose consciousness. Her friends moved her a few feet up into some shade. GCSAR and EMS responded with the litter and wheel on a very hot trail. The EMS folks had dispatch call the BLM fire center helo for transport. Jennie got a jump kit and came up with the helo. We put the biker into the helo in a KED cuz the helo is not equipped for backboards. Jeff went with her to the hospital. Comments: Why was it so difficult to contact base camp on GCSAR channel?? When we use the BLM fire helo, simply point out the LZ and walk away cuz they do ALL the rest. Responders: Loren Good, TBerry, Bego, Jeff, Lee, Rex, Frank, Mandy (?), Frankie June 12 01- 29 6- 13- 01 Broken Biker SRBT An injured hip in the Half Pipe. Transported out by Ranger to Ambulance, per training. Comments: 01- 30 5- 16- 01 Technical Rock Rescue near Goose Island River Road A group of 40 Mormon church youth were packed and ready to go home when they discovered Brandon stuck up on the cliff high above the road. One of the adults and another youth hiked up the steep slickrock to a point above him and others were within 15 feet below him. But he could not move up or down and a fall would have been too way ugly. An interagency response followed. Some went to the slab just at the bottom of the cliff and 2 hiked up the STEEP slab to the top, leaving a fixed rope on the steepest part. Kevin rappelled down a rope to the lad's position, put a harness on him and lowered him to safety. This maneuver is a version of the famous Pick Off. Comments: A tree, 300 foot rope, 4 cam units as directionals, ascenders, ATC, Grigri, a few biners and a harness for the subject.. Responders: Kevin, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Bego, Lee, Dick, Dave. Steve and George from RISKY 01- 31 6- 17- 01 Dehydrated Biker above Fisher Valley The RP who was also the Mom, reported her teen daughter to be dehydrated 12 miles from Hwy 128 toward Polar Mesa. Frank came over the top from Castleton while we mobilized from town. By the time we had arrived at the intersection in Fisher Valley, the girl was just a mile east. They had walked about two miles since the Mom had left them. 502 responded directly. Comments: 00- 32 6- 23- 01 Broken biker a few feet from finishing the SRBT First radio traffic indicated it was a Deputy issue in the SRBT parking lot. Turned into a broken biker thing but a few hundred feet from the parking lot. We responded with the Ranger and off he went in the 503. Comments: 01-317 - Harpers Ferry NHP (WV/MD/VA) - River Rescues On Saturday, June 9th, a large group of Boy Scouts and their leaders were canoeing on the rain-swollen Potomac River adjacent to the park when their canoes capsized. Two Maryland State Police helicopters attempted unsuccessfully to retrieve the victims. Using the helicopters as spotters, Rangers Robbie Sampsell and David Mayeski responded in the park's jet-drive zodiac boat while Ranger Ryan Levins coordinated shore-based efforts with the local responders. A total of eight scouts and leaders were rescued by rangers, who had to interrupt the rescue effort to rescue nine local volunteer fire company responders whose three boats swamped or capsized. The rescues were conducted in Class IV whitewater flowing at above normal stage. River advisories were in effect due to high water. The incident occurred during an unrelated park special event. 01-311 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Rescue by Extension Cord A tour guide and a park visitor saved the life of a 12-year-old boy who had fallen into the canyon at Artist Point lookout around 8 p.m. on June 25th. Andrew Fortier, 12, was visiting the park with his family and had stopped at Artist Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to view the Lower Falls. After viewing the falls, the family began walking back to their vehicle. According to the parents, their two young boys were off-trail, throwing stones. The parents had walked about 30 to 40 feet ahead of the boys in an effort to encourage them to move along when they heard cries for help. Andrew had slipped on some loose gravel into a chute; he fell 10 to 15 feet before he was able to grab onto a rock, then slipped another 10 feet before he was able to grab onto a quarter-inch root and hold on. His calls for help attracted other park visitors, who tried tying T-shirts together in an effort to reach him. The boy's cries for help also attracted the attention of tour guide Michael Doran, 30, of Eaton, Ohio, who assessed the situation, then asked a nearby RV owner for a rope. The RV owner was able to provide a long extension cord. An ,unknown park visitor volunteered to climb down the extension cord to ,the boy. The visitor climbed down and tied the cord around Andrew to ,secure him; Doran and other visitors then pulled the two of them up. Rangers were notified of the incident, but the rescue had been ,completed and the unknown rescuer had departed by the time they arrived on scene. An emergency medical evaluation was completed on Andrew, who was found to be fine. If Andrew had been unable to hold on, he would have slipped over an edge just 30 feet away, then fallen another 100 to 200 feet onto some rocks. 01-298 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Short Haul Rescue On the morning of Sunday, June 24th, SAR shift ranger KJ Glover received a report of two hikers trapped on a ridge in the Hance Creek drainage. The hikers were on a commercially-led backpacking trip and were returning with their guide from a hike to the Colorado River the previous day via a seldom-used route. While descending a talus slope 150 feet above the creek, one of the hikers, a 14-year-old male, dislodged a 200-pound boulder which struck him and caused possible fractures to an arm and leg. The guide treated him, then hiked back to their campsite and returned with water and bivouac equipment so the trio could spend the night at that location. The guide hiked out to the South Rim early the next morning and reported the accident. A park helicopter with pilot Greg Haufle and helicopter manager Carl Helquist aboard flew to the scene. Rangers Bil Vandergraff and Ken Phillips were then short-hauled by helicopter from the Tonto Plateau down a thousand feet to a narrow pass near the victim's location. The hikers were evacuated by helicopter to the South Rim. The juvenile was taken by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center.
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| "Silt Happens" Back Issues |
| #01-2
(March-April) -- Rocks fall, bones break, bikers get lost #01-1 (Jan-Feb., 2001) -- Doggie Bagged; Pilot dies in Book Cliffs crash #00-5 (Sept.-Oct. 2000)
Brad finds a son; a relatively quiet couple of months.
#99-5 (Sept-Dec99) --
The "Mari" incident, Westwater drowning, Jeeping off Gemini, Stuck on Fine Jade #98-6 (Nov-Dec 98) -- Thanks Yous;
Tramway and rescue plans; Cellular Phonefinder; Practice Safe Response; Pipeline Go BOOM #97-6 (Nov-Dec 97) |