Our team had a rescue this past Sunday up at Chimney Rock in Catoctin National Park (near Camp David) for those of you that are familiar with the area. Sunday was an unusually warm day, which when combined with it being a weekend day always increases day hikers/tourists to the area. Chimney Rock provides beautiful vistas of the Catoctin area and is popular hiking route for families as it only a mile or so from the main parking lot.
The call came out fairly late in the day and our Emergency Communication Center (ECC) was not sure as to the nature of the call, both due to a langue barrier and poor cell phone reception. At first, they believed the call was for a young girl falling 3 feet into a creek, no real big deal. However, when the 1st due Engine/Squad Company and Medic Unit arrived on the scene and hiked to the patient, there they learned the girl fell 30 feet into a crevice, with potentially significant pelvic injuries. With approaching darkness, the mechanism/nature of injury, it was decided to hoist the patient out using Maryland State Police Medivac -Trooper 3 and our team’s HEAT (Helicopter Emergency Aerial Tactics) Team. Upon arrival at staging, two of our members went to the rendezvous site to meet up with the helicopter for insertion to the site and 4 of us started to hike up the mountain.
The HEAT Team was inserted and with the on-scene personal having already packaged the patient, hoisted the patient from the scene. Two of the ground team made it up in time to assist with the hoist, while myself and another member waited down the trail in case the hoist was scrubbed and we had to take the patient by land.
The patient and family (about 6 in all) were very lucky, considering the weather was so warm, as they were totally unprepared – no warm clothing, no flashlight and no water.
Pete
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