November 1, 2022 |
Last month, volunteer firefighters from Elk Mountain, Hanna, SCWEMS and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office rescued an injured hunter from the Medicine Bow National Forest.
Elk Mountain volunteer firefighter Garrett Irene described the call he received on October 5th.
The hunter was able to call 911, alerting authorities to his general location. Irene said the man was from Cheyenne and appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s. Irene didn’t think the man simply got turned around. He said the hunter was confused, possibly caused by a head injury.
The thick trees made finding the injured hunter challenging. Before a rescue helicopter arrived to assist, Sheriff’s deputies were combing the forest looking for the man. Irene said the hunter was able to use his rifle to signal the officers.
Irene said the helicopter initially located the injured man. Coordinating with sheriff’s deputies and the Elk Mountain Fire Department, the pilots guided the rescuers to the hunter’s position. The rough roads prevented an ambulance from getting close to where the man was, so Irene and other fire personnel had to physically carry the man to the EMTs.
The Elk Mountain firefighter said the man was dazed and appeared to have suffered a concussion. Everyone was thankful his injuries weren’t more severe. Irene said it was approximately four hours from the time the hunter called 911 to when he was on his way to the hospital.
Garrett Irene would like to thank everybody who participated in the rescue.
Sam and Melissa Sikes, and Mark Kostovny responded from the Hanna Fire Department. From Elk Mountain Fire, Garrett Irene and Bob Meyer, were on scene. Sheriff’s deputies Casey Lehr and Pat Patterson were the first to reach the injured hunter.
And South Central Wyoming EMS members Kyle Warren and Shana Romero treated the man while en route to the hospital.
Irene said he may have forgotten a few people, but the entire team did a great job.
Thanks to the bravery and hard work of these men and women, a potential tragedy was averted.
