Steven's Pass skier airlifted after 1000 foot fall.
Steven's Pass skier airlifted after 1000 foot fall.

On January 22nd The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office sent in a request to King County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit after receiving an Apple Watch SOS alert from a backcountry skier near Steven’s Pass in Washington State.

The only information provided to the air unit was the skier was male and had sustained a leg injury after falling roughly 1000 feet. Rescue specialists from the King County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit arrived on scene just after sunset and had to deal with difficult terrain to extract the injured skier. The experts at KCSO hoisted the man to safety in what the described as a “spicy rescue”:

“Spicy rescue from Wednesday night. We had limited information from an iOS satellite distress call near Union Peak. We launched Guardian 1 to locate the victims and Guardian 2 to facilitate the rescue.” -King County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit

Cheers to the pilot and all members of the rescue team. Excellent work!

About King County Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit:

King County Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit provides 24/7 support for all of King County and surrounding agencies/regional partners. This unit provides a strategic combination of Helicopters and various sUAS (small Unmanned Aircraft Systems) and UAVs (unmanned Aerial Vehicles) for many types of incidents. 

Air support services and missions

Force multiplier:

A law enforcement helicopter is often referred to as a “force multiplier.” It has become an indispensable part of the Sheriff’s Office. Nationwide studies have shown that helicopter/car teams have higher felony arrest rates than that of car teams alone. The helicopter’s aerial advantage gives it many more times the surveillance capability of a ground unit. This vantage point, plus the speed in which a helicopter can get a trained observer over a crime scene, provides containment that often essentially assures an arrest. It does so efficiently, without having to pull other patrol units from their areas of responsibility.

Patrol:

A helicopter’s vantage point permits observation of activities not seen by ground officers, such as on rooftops and in fenced yards. At normal patrol speeds and altitudes, a helicopter can keep an object in view on the ground ten times longer than a ground officer moving at normal street patrol speeds. Our helicopters are equipped with tracking equipment capable of locating bank robbers and stolen vehicles. We have color and forward looking infrared (FLIR) cameras and 30 million-candle power spotlights that enable us to find suspects at night.

Inter-agency support:

In addition to its many law enforcement applications, the helicopter may be required to assist other agencies in diversified missions. We have assisted the Secret Service, FBI, DEA, Customs and local law enforcement with a wide variety of surveillances and other missions. In many jurisdictions, law enforcement helicopters are often used to transport local and government officials and visiting dignitaries, providing a significant and economical improvement in security.

Search and rescue:

The helicopter’s excellent visibility and the ability to hover make it a very effective Search & Rescue (SAR) vehicle. We have assisted the SAR community throughout Washington and Oregon. Unhampered by terrain, a helicopter can quickly bypass ground obstacles, saving valuable time. It can search large areas quickly, allowing ground searchers to concentrate their efforts in other search areas. Using the hoist we can insert rescuers and evacuate victims. The time saved can easily mean the difference between life and death.

Don't miss out!

Get the latest snow and mountain lifestyle news and entertainment delivered to your inbox.

This field is hidden when viewing the form
Newsletters
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.