Park County Search and Rescue (SAR) is always ready to handle a wide variety of calls across a large region with incredibly varied terrain. Their volunteers were stretched to their limits early this month after responding to five calls in four days across northwest Wyoming.
Between July 5 and 8, Park County SAR responded to a stranded boat, a fall from a waterfall, horse and muleback injuries and a rattlesnake bite. Each call required the coordination of multiple agencies and helicopter evacuations, all dependent on the readiness of SAR volunteers.
"There's 38 of us total, including myself," Park County Sar Coordinator Bill Brown said. "This (frequency) is fairly uncommon, but we have to be ready for anything at any time. We're in the business of what does happen and what can happen."
Water Rescues
On July 5, the Park County Sheriff's Office 911 center received a call of a stranded boat on the Buffalo Bill reservoir. SAR volunteers used their boat to get the stranded boat and its six occupants back to the dock with the assistance of Wyoming State Parks staff.
On July 6, an elderly male fell approximately twenty feet into a pool of water underneath Lake Creek Falls in Beartooth Pass. The Park County Sheriff's Office 911 center received the call at 12:47 P.M.
SAR volunteers, Cody Regional Health and First Flight of Wyoming were dispatched to the scene. Bystanders had already rescued the man from the pool and had put him in a private vehicle to drive him to the landing zone, where the First Flight helicopter would meet them.
The victim was flown to Billings, Mont., for treatment of injuries he received from the fall.
Mules And Horses
The same day as the response to Lake Creek Falls, there was another call was for assistance in the mountains north of Cody. On July 6, a 65-year-old man who had been thrown from a mule activated a Garmin SOS beacon from the Dead Indian Trail off Highway 296.
Park County SAR, Cody Regional Health EMS, and Guardian Flight responded to the call. When they reached the man, he was uninjured but too exhausted to hike back to the Dead Indian Trailhead.
Guardian Flight flew the man and his dog to the trailhead. First Flight of Wyoming, on its way back from Billings after transporting the man who fell at Lake Creek Falls, also responded and dropped off a SAR team at the scene.
Responders attempted to rescue the mule from the bog, but it died from the stress of the incident. Cowboy State Daily reached out to the man who was rescued from Dead Indian Trail, who declined to comment.
Brown said his team did what they could for the mule. However, rescuing animals is not a priority when they respond to a call.
"Historically, our policy is we don't rescue equipment, meaning livestock or ATVs," he said. "There are caveats to that on a case-by-case basis. That's what we saw with the stranded boat, one instance where we did rescue equipment, since it was going to potentially cause another search and rescue call."
On July 7, the Park County Sheriff's Office received a call about a man who had fallen from a horse and suffered shoulder and rib injuries resulting in difficulty breathing. Park County SAR volunteers responded to Dunn Creek near Wapiti along with Cody Regional Health EMS Wilderness Team and Guardian Flight.
When the responders reached Dunn Creek, they stabilized the injured man. Guardian Flight transported him to Cody Regional Health for transport.
Bite Flight
On July 8, the Powell Police Department 911 Center received a call about a 19-year-old male bitten by a rattlesnake three and a half miles up Heart Mountain. The department coordinated a rescue with Park County SAR, the Powell Fire Department, Powell Valley Healthcare EMS and First Flight of Wyoming.
The victim was transported via helicopter to Cody Regional Health for anti-venom treatment. The incident was a first for Brown, a 14-year veteran of Park County SAR.
"I don't know that I've ever had a rattlesnake bite call," he said. "We've been around for 54 years, so I'm sure there's been some others, but this is the first one I remember."
Ready For Whatever
Brown said 15 to 20 Park County SAR volunteers were mobilized over the five-day period. Everyone on the team is well-trained to respond immediately to any situation when a call comes in.
"These people are coming from work, home, or whatever they may be doing," he said. "They drop what they're doing and come in prepared to deal with whatever it is and get the best help for the patient that we can as quickly as we can."
Both First Flight of Wyoming and Guardian Flight were available to respond to the multiple calls over the four days. Brown said Park County SAR is fortunate to have a vast network of experienced aerial teams available to them throughout western Wyoming.
"If it's a known injury at a known location, we can call one of the medical helicopters, either Guardian or First Flight," he said. "We've also got (Tip Top Search and Rescue in) Sublette County. They've got a helicopter that they contract during this time of year, and we've used them quite a few times. Teton County now has a helicopter that we can call, and we can even call the National Guard if we need to. We're pretty blessed with that."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
