Boy Scout suffers heat exhaustion
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June 28, 1980 |
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By Hal Fulkman
"Two for
the price of one" is a worn out cliche but
is appropriate to describe this mission. Surely
the most expensive aspect of search and rescue,
as far as the Sheriff's office is concerned is
helicopter expense. The helicopter adds speed and
accessibility to difficult terrain. We use it to
evacuate injured and sick persons, and to search
large areas rapidly. It has proven, over the
years to be invaluable to us. Because it is such
a valuable tool, RMRU realizes it's
responsibility to use it prudently and only to
it's best advantage. 
An opportunity to use the helicopter
in such a prudent manner came about one Saturday
when the Banning Station of the Riverside County
Sheriff's Department, received a request for help
from a Scoutmaster who had a Boy Scout suffering
from heat exhaustion at Tahquitz Meadow and
earlier that day the forestry was made aware of
an ill hiker at Caramba. The rescue team arrived
at Camp Maranatha in Idyllwild and upon setting
up base camp it was decided that either
circumstance could facilitate the use of a
helicopter. The helicopter was summoned by the
Sheriff's Department and with Walt Walker and
myself aboard with Don Landells flew in to
Tahquitz Valley to evacuate the young Boy Scout
and fly him down to a waiting ambulance, at Camp
Maranatha. We then returned to the high country
to locate and recover the ill hiker. The ill
hiker turned out to be suffering from an inner
ear infection and would not have been able to
hike out on his own due to a loss of equilibrium.
We quickly helped the hiker into the waiting
chopper and then flew back to Idyllwild. The
opportunity to consolidate two rescues comes
rarely but when it does it cuts our major
operating expenses drastically.