Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and Beaver Dam EMS airlift trapped and injured hiker out of Arizona Strip

On September 16, at about 12:30 p.m., the Mo­have County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Beaver Dam/ Littlefield Fire Department responded to an emergency call about a hiker who had fallen down a slope and was stuck on a cliff.

Left to right: Photos via Beaver Dam Fire Department.

A social media post by the MCSO explains the situa­tion and response, stating, “The hiker had fallen about 60 feet down a steep and rugged slope and had in­juries, including his wrist and ankle. He was lucky he still had his cell phone (and service) to call for help after falling. Search and Rescue was activated and began hiking into his location, as they were notified that an EMT from Beaver Dam Fire was able to locate him and began rendering first aid.

Due to the remote and rugged terrain he had fallen into, Search and Res­cue had determined that extracting him would be extremely difficult. A rope team began hauling equip­ment to set up a technical rescue system, while the Western Air Rescue DPS Helicopter in Kingman began responding with a Rescue Specialist from our Kingman Search and Res­cue Unit. Upon arrival, the DPS helicopter prepared to  perform a short-haul rescue (using a rope tethered to the helicopter and trans­porting people at the end of the rope to safety) and had our Rescue Specialist rappel from the helicopter to the injured hiker. The Rescue Specialist then prepared to short-haul the hiker to the Command Post, while the helicopter went to the Command Post to reconfigure the aircraft for short-haul operations. The helicopter returned and short-hauled the EMT from Beaver Dam Fire to the Command Post, to reduce any possible injuries on his way back down the rugged slope. Then the helicopter returned and short-hauled the Rescue Specialist and the injured hiker to the Command Post.

Search and Rescue encourages everyone to never hike alone in the remote and rug­ged wilderness areas of Mohave County. Great job by everyone involved on this com­plicated rescue!”

Life Flight was dis­patched to the scene, but given the difficulty of the landing zone and the relatively stable condition of the patient, it was determined the safer method would be the above-mentioned short-haul.