PHOTOS: Red Lodge Fire Rescue (RLFR) reported two successful backcountry rescue operations that took place during the past week. On Sunday, August 3, Red Lodge Search and Rescue (RLSAR) personnel intercepted a hiker who had fallen and broken their wrist on the Beartooth High Lakes Trail. The hiker was apparently contacted just above Native Lake, where RLSAR members re-splinted their injury and escorted them to the hospital for further care. On Thursday, August 7, RLFR crews rescued a hiker after suffering possible broken ribs from a fall on the Lake Fork Trail.
Medical personnel began initial treatment efforts, while rescuers loaded the injured hiker onto a stretcher with a single wheel beneath its center, which is used to keep patients stable while transporting them through mountain terrain. Following a combined effort by Red Lodge Fire, SAR and Emergency Medical Services personnel, the hiker was transported to safety. โEach of these rescues was made possible due to satellite-based communication from areas with no cell phone coverage,โ RLFR officials stated, urging hikers to always let someone know their route and when they plan to return, or to keep some form of emergency communication device on hand while embarking on a hike.
