Portland, Oregon – Shortly after 1:30 pm today, AMR’s Reach and Treat (RAT) team (Paramedics and EMTs) was requested by Clackamas County 9-1-1 for a report of an injured hiker in the Mt Hood National Forest off Highway 224 south of Estacada. Initial reports from 9-1-1 callers were that the older hiker had fallen, and was trapped against a tree. AMR’s Reach and Treat team responded along with U.S. Forest Service personnel and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
A Forest Service law enforcement officer was the first to reach the hiker, confirm the location, and perform an initial assessment. After arriving, RAT Team paramedics Morally and Aberle hiked to the patient, along with members of the Forest Service Quick Response Team. The patient was approximately 25 feet down a steep slope, and trapped against a large bush.
“If this individual had not been stopped by the brush, they likely would have continued to slide several hundred feet down to the river – and could have been seriously or fatally injured,” states Lead Paramedic Morally. “With the very wet spring we’ve had, hikers should pay close attention to their footing, keeping in mind that trails can be in poor condition.”
RAT paramedics stabilized the patient in a litter, set up a low-angle rope system to raise the patient back to the trail, and, with the help of the Quick Response Team moved the patient safely to the trailhead. The patient was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. AMR’s Reach and Treat Team members have responded to wilderness rescues in Clackamas County since 1989. The team trains monthly to keep their skills sharp for performing rope rescue operations such as this.
AMR’s RAT team would like to remind all backcountry travelers to exercise appropriate caution on the trail, carry adequate personal gear, be prepared to stay longer than planned, and always leave your planned route of travel and return time with a reliable third party (who can contact 9-1-1 if hikers are overdue).
Due to federal privacy laws, AMR cannot release patient information or photos.
AMR’s Reach and Treat Team is a unique unit of AMR paramedics and EMTs who are specially trained and equipped to reach and care for patients in wilderness, alpine, and high-angle environments. The team is based in Sandy, Oregon, and has been responding to backcountry emergencies since 1989.
American Medical Response Inc. (www.amr.net), America’s leading provider of medical transportation, is locally operated in 38 states and the District of Columbia. AMR’s 18,500 paramedics, EMTs and other professionals transport more than four million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations. In Oregon and SW Washington, AMR employs more than 700 paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and support personnel in Multnomah, Clackamas, Clark, Washington and Josephine Counties.
Source: American Medical Response