FlashAlert
As the temperatures heat up, visitors to Tamolitch Falls, a local recreation area known as Blue Pool, are increasingly utilizing first response resources. Sweet Home Fire, along with Linn County Search and Rescue, LCSO, and Upper Mckenzie Fire responded to the hiking area for treatment and/or extrication of three separate individuals today. This on the heels of their responses for two separate patients just two days ago. Most of these patients had to be placed in a stokes basket and walked out by rescuers. This requires a significant number of rescuers to accomplish, and represents a staggering number of man hours. For Sweet Home Fire, the average response to Blue Pool takes around seven hours from the time a unit goes en route to the call, until they return to the station. For Linn County SAR, the hours can be even longer as they respond out of Albany. Most calls bring around 20 responders from multiple different agencies. Emergencies range from minor injuries to heat-related emergencies or dehydration, to critical injuries that often result from jumping or falling into the pool. As recently as July 2nd, yet another patient was airlifted off of the trail via longline by a Coast Guard helicopter. Due to the site’s remote location, it can take 1.5-2 hours for medics to reach the patient. Communications between those needing help and dispatch centers are challenging, as are radio communications between responding agencies. Potential visitors to the hiking area should be aware of the dangers, and of the lengthy response times for rescue. Sweet Home Fire would like to encourage anyone wanting to hike the area to ensure that your fitness level will allow it, you are well-hydrated and prepared, and that you use the appropriate caution in accessing the pool. Our resources, like many first response agencies are extremely limited and in especially high demand this time of year. It is our goal to ensure that everyone in our District has access to emergency resources when they need them. We need your help to ensure that our resources are not depleted by excessive responses to one location.
If photo is available it can be found here
Emergency Responses to "Blue Pool" Increasing, Exhausting Local Resources (Photo)
