A rescue by sea and sky is successful thanks to rescue teams and a generous farmer lending his land so the helicopter can safely land.
Plettenberg Bay, South Africa (11 April 2022) – Yesterday, a multi-team rescue took place to assist a hiker that had fallen at the Kranshoek Cairnbrogie Farm hiking trail in Plettenberg Bay. The NSRI rescue vehicle responded to the emergency call.
Deputy station commander from NSRI Plettenberg Bay, Laurent Eray shared that the incident took place at 13h48, Sunday, 10 April 2022. The NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty crew was activated following reports of an injured hiker.
“Our NSRI rescue vehicle responded and on arrival on the scene the 37-year-old female, from Knysna, accompanied by family, was found injured from a fall but in a stable condition along a barely accessible part of the hiking trail cliffs on the shoreline
Our NSRI medics initiated medical treatment.”
The team needed assistance to get the woman to safety, and the Western Cape Government Health EMS Metro Control activated the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter.
The farmer allocated a space of land for the rescue effort where the helicopter could safely land on the farm, near where the woman was being rescued.
“On the helicopters arrival on the scene 2 EMS rescue technicians were inserted by hoist from the helicopter onto the site where assisted by our NSRI crew, they secured the patient who was hoisted into the helicopter.
The helicopter landed on the farm to reconfigure before hoisting the second EMS rescue technician from the site and he was also brought to the landing zone.
Following further medical treatment on-site the patient was airlifted to a Knysna hospital in a stable condition in the care of paramedics and she is expected to make a full recovery.”
Through the collaborative effort of all parties involved, the woman was rescued swiftly and received the medical care needed to make a full recovery.
“NSRI commends the farmer who assisted on the scene, and we commend the close working relationship between NSRI, WC Government Health EMS and the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter.”
The rescue teams all receive training to deal with mountain rescues as they are common along the Western Cape coastline, where hiking trails meet oceanside cliffs. In a recent article by the NSRI, NSRI training manager Graeme Harding shares that every rescuer is given the training to deal with helicopter rescues.
“WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) does do training with NSRI crew, though, and we have a helicopter simulator; it is part of the crew’s standard training to know how to set up a helicopter landing zone,” he says. “We also run maritime extrication training courses, which involve high angle rescue training that equips crews with skills to perform rescues at steep angles, such as the side of the boat, which could also translate to a steep mountain face.”
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