On Tuesday, May 26th, crews with Clackamas Fire and other agencies in Oregon assisted an adult male who fell around 60 feet down a steep hillside, sustaining injuries and requiring rescue via a Stokes basket.
According to the Fire Department, a call came in around 2:30pm with a need for a technical rescue on S. Butte Creek Rd. in Molalla. Two young adults were with the patient, having climbed down to assist, but they couldn’t bring the man back up the slope both due to his injuries and due to the terrain.
The technical rescue team used a low-angle rope rescue system to secure the patient in a Stokes basket before safely bringing him back to the top. Stokes baskets are rigid stretchers that securly cradle a patient’s entire body. They’re on most rescue engines, ladders, and squad companies today, used by rescue crews to carry, lower, or haul victims either via a rope system or on-scene manpower.
Once returned to the top of the slope, crews transported the patient to a local hospital for further treatment. Rescuers also helped the two other individuals back up the steep slope, though both made it out without inury.
This was a joint rescue involving personnel from Molalla Fire District, Silverton Fire District, and Clackamas County Search & Rescue.
