Roger
Update by Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue (SBCSAR)
Saturday afternoon shortly before 1 pm, SBCSAR responded with AMR Ambulance, Santa Barbara County Fire Department and SBC Air Support to a report of a hiker having a heat-related emergency on Arroyo Burro Trail, an estimated 2-3 miles from the trailhead. S
AR teams along with AMR personnel made access to the subject and her friend via Edison road. Upon arrival, personnel initiated treatment and began providing fluids to the subject and prepared for transport. Air Support Unit Copter 4 arrived on the scene for possible transport and staged as a transport decision was made, they were released to another heat incident on one of the brush fires.
SAR personnel along with AMR used a litter basket and litter wheel to bring the subject down to SAR vehicles and then off the dirt roads to the waiting ambulance. Upon returning to the station, another call came out for a heat emergency on Cold Spring trail just North of Montecito Peak.
The heat encountered by teams on the trail and at the subject’s location was in the mid to upper 90’s. The excessive heat warning is extremely dangerous and any strenuous activity should be done in the early morning hours or late evening to avoid an incident.
Photo: SBCSARJust after completing the rescue on Arroyo Burro, SBCSAR responded with Santa Barbara County Fire, SBC Air Support, and AMR ambulance to the Cold Spring Saddle on East Camino Cielo for hikers having heat-related issues.
The three hikers were on the Cold Spring trail just North of Montecito Peak and had two dogs also suffering from the heat. Fire and SAR teams hiked down to the subjects and reached them just as Copter 4 was lowering a medic to evaluate.
The first subject was hoisted and flown up to a landing zone and awaiting an ambulance at the saddle for evaluation. The second subject in good condition was hiked out with the first dog and met mid-trail by a SAR member whom also is a local veterinarian and was able to provide the dog fluids subcutaneously to assist with overheating and dehydration. The third subject was re-evaluated and determined to need evacuation and the Copter was called in to get him up to the saddle and awaiting ambulance.
The second dog was hiked up and in better condition than the first, teams made it out of the field and returned to service. At the saddle, all subjects and dogs were reunited and the dogs were re-evaluated by the veterinarian.
Photo: SBCSARI’m hearing a report of a medical emergency on a hiking trail. It’s either Cold Springs, Montecito Peak, or the Saddle something? Search and Rescue is on the call.
Matbe they can’t help themselves like a moth drawn to light.
okay, so two calls today – sounds like for multiple people. A call yesterday for two people, and a call the day before for someone. Two calls in the last three days for naked men walking down the street in town, and five calls in the last week? for broken gas lines…. can we get something original, other that lighting strike fires?
No, they can help themselves. It is all about choice; not immutable instinct. If it were just instinct, there is no reason to rescue them and interfere with fate.
This is why I could never be on S&R. I would have just rescued the dogs and left the stupid people up there.
In the days before cell phones this problem would take care of itself. Now they’ll be around to do it again. Are we making progress as a people or are we just dumbing down.