VIDEO: Sacramento Metro Fire crews performed a helicopter rescue of an endurance runner who broke his leg on Razorback Ridge Trail, south of Soda Springs in Placer County on Sunday. The runner tripped and fractured his femur, and a friend called 911, providing first responders with their coordinates, according to Metro Fire.
“Ground crews were starting their way simultaneously with us being launched. And lucky for us, they were able to get there first and start rendering some patient aid,” Captain James Doyle said.” We were able to get one of the skids in next to the slope there and offload Kyle to get access to the patient.”
Captain Kyle Fritz, the rescuer on this mission, said he’s been in the program since 2021 and this was his first hoist since joining. “They don’t happen every day,” Fritz said. “We have a number of different rescue devices that we can package a patient in,” Fritz said when explaining the rescue equipment used on the mission. “The one that you saw in this video, it’s called a Bauman bag, and it’s kind of like a backboard with a with a case around it.”
Doug Russell, the pilot of Metro Fire’s Copter 3, said, “My job is to get them to and from the rescue scene as safely as possible.” He has been flying for about 40 years and has completed approximately 400 rescues.
Officials advise hikers to access trails within their capabilities and to know their coordinates in case of emergencies. “You can give a description to us based on a general area, and it’s going to extend our search time, but if you can give coordinates, we will fly directly to you.”
