HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR092517FirefightersconducttwoairrescuesonSunday
C O U NT Y O F KAU A‘I
BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.
Mayor
WALLACE G. REZENTES JR.
Managing Director
KAUA‘I FIRE DEPARTMENT
News Release
For Immediate Release: September 25, 2017
ROBERT WESTERMAN, CHIEF
Tel (808) 241-4980
Fax (808) 241-6508
Firefighters conduct two air rescues on Sunday
Firefighters responded to two distress calls on Sunday which required Air 1 rescue
support in Pīla‘a and Wailua.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m. Hanalei firefighters were dispatched to the trail leading to Pīla‘a
beach, where a 53-year-old California woman apparently fell and injured her ankle. Due to the
rough terrain, rescuers were unable to safely wheel the patient up the trail.
Rescue 3 aboard Air 1 was dispatched to the scene and extricated the patient from the
shoreline. The woman was brought to a nearby landing zone where she was assessed by
awaiting medics. She was transported in stable condition to Wilcox Hospital by a private vehicle.
Later that day, Kapa‘a firefighters were dispatched shortly before 4:30 p.m. to a man in
distress in the Wailua Homesteads residential area.
A 73-year-old Wailua man was cutting down a tree when he slipped and fell
approximately 100 feet off of a cliff.
After arriving at the scene, a Kapa‘a firefighter secured himself into a rescue harness
and hiked down the cliff to prepare the man for air rescue. Rescue 3 aboard Air 1 left the Po‘ipū
brush fire and arrived in Wailua to short-haul the victim out using a Stokes litter. The man did
sustain serious injuries and was transported to Wilcox Hospital by awaiting medics.
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