Contributed Photo/Courtesy DPS: The DPS Ranger 1 helicopter performed its highest altitude hoist to date when it rescued a SAR member in the Chiricahua Mountain Range on Aug. 6.
Staff Reports
COCHISE COUNTY – The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Bell 429 helicopter was called upon to rescue a Cochise County Search and Rescue team member Aug. 6.
The SAR member was injured and was on a rugged section of the Chiricahua Mountain Range.
Ranger 1, a Bell 429 helicopter, flew to Rustlers Park within the mountain range between Willcox and Douglas and located the SAR member, who was suffering from a leg injury. The SAR member was on a steep mountainside amid dense brush and pine trees at an altitude of 8,900 feet above sea level, according to a DPS press release.
Ranger 1 lowered a trooper-paramedic to the ground with the helicopter’s hoist. The injured SAR member was then secured int a harness (AKA screamer suit) and raised back up into the aircraft. The patient was then transported to a local hospital for treatment. The mission represented the highest altitude hoist for Ranger 1 to date.
Below is a video of the rescue footage courtesy DPS.
“This rescue is one of many that highlights the amazing work of our Arizona State Troopers,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “Every day these heroic women and men take action to protect and assist Arizonans across the state.”
