inReach: Grand Canyon rafter airlifted out within one hour of SOS
The inReach two-way satellite communicator was a critical factor in a recent rescue. The two-way communication capabilities and Iridium® global coverage helped a group of hikers to communicate with rescue personnel and have a helicopter onsite within one hour of contact.
Durango, Colorado resident Kevin Camp is as an avid hiker, mountain biker, and white water rafting guide and has used Garmin products for many years, including the company’s handheld GPS devices, Atlases, and most recently the inReach, which helps him share his many adventures with family and friends. His latest adventure took him on a three-week Grand Canyon rafting trip with 16 people ranging in age from twenty-somethings to seventy-plus.
On September 27th, the group – including the trip’s co-leader Jim Fuge – prepared to hike to the top of a waterfall. Fuge has more than 12 Grand trips under his belt and is an experienced climber. With one misstep, Fuge fell about fifteen feet and landed on rocks suffering a serious head wound, a broken wrist, and numerous cuts and abrasions. He also was initially unconscious for about 40 seconds with his face in the water. Recognizing the severity of his injuries, the group spun into immediate emergency action with some rushing to get aid materials and supplies while others worked to stabilize Fuge.
“Jim was beginning to go into shock but we managed to get him on a paddleboard to carry him out. He just kept muttering ‘need e-vac”, Camp continued. “We were about a quarter mile from camp, so a group member quickly went to camp, retrieved my inReach and brought back two more people with medical training to assist.”
With no cell service available, Camp grabbed his inReach and initiated an SOS, thereby activating communication with GEOS, an international emergency response service. inReach offers two-way messaging capabilities when paired with a smartphone, tablet or Garmin handheld GPS. Because Camp was able to have a two-way text conversation with GEOS during the rescue, he was able to provide critical information about Fuge’s vital signs and other aspects of his injuries. These details were then relayed to local search and rescue (SAR) authorities to evaluate the severity of Fuge’s injuries and ultimately determine that he needed to be airlifted immediately. Camp was also able to converse with rescue personnel about the physical surroundings so the helicopter could land as close to injury site as possible.
Fuge was airlifted to a hospital and after undergoing a craniotomy and receiving 20 head staples, made a full recovery. A family member was told by the surgeon that if Fuge had arrived at the hospital an hour or two later, he might not have ever fully recovered, or worse.
The post inReach: Grand Canyon rafter airlifted out within one hour of SOS appeared first on Garmin Blog.
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