Sacramento Metro Fire crews conducted a dramatic helicopter rescue Sunday after an endurance runner suffered a fractured femur in Placer County.
A friend called 9-1 and provided GPS coordinates, allowing firefighters and the helicopter crew a good idea where they needed to go on the Razorback Ridge Trail.
“Ground crews began hiking in at the same time we were launched,” Capt. James Doyle told KCRA.com. “Fortunately, they reached the scene first and were able to begin patient care. We were then able to get one of the skids next to the slope and offload Kyle so he could access the patient.”
Capt. Kyle Fritz, who was lowered from Metro Fire’s Copter 3 during the operation, said it was his first hoist rescue since joining the flight program in 2021.
“They don’t happen every day,” Fritz told the television station said.
He explained how they used a Bauman bag to package the patient and then lift them to the helicopter for transport.
