BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Fire Department and Ada County Paramedics have responded to four rescue scenarios in the foothills in the last two weeks.
- As the weather warms up more trails will open
- Boise Fire Dept. and Ada County Paramedics are part of rescue missions when needed
- Plan ahead to prevent emergency scenarios
Spring, a time of year where water levels are rising, animals come out of hiding, and flowers start to appear. But with warmer weather, first responders have been sent out on four rescues in the foothills in the past two weeks.
"Whether it's people crashing on their mountain bikes and having concussions or broken collar bones or broken bones to dehydration to anxiety attacks as well as significant calls like cardiac arrest, so it's a pretty wide range of things that occur, up in the foothills" said Cpt. Luke Miller of the Boise Fire Department.
When dispatch gets an emergency call in the foothills the Boise Fire Department responds out of Station 1 near the Boise Bike Park. They have special equipment like electric dirt bikes, a four-wheeler and a side by side to help them reach people in the foothills.
"So between all of those we can usually make that initial access," said Miller. "Then we can start accessing and treating the patient and figure out the best and quickest way to get them off the mountain."
The partnership between Ada County Paramedics fire departments is also very important in these dynamic rescue scenarios.
"We've worked together for a lot of years and we work seamlessly together," said Battalion Chief Brandon Larosa of Ada County Paramedics.
In a rescue, Ada County Paramedics will dispatch a Battalion Chief and one or two medical units. Depending on the situation, a paramedic might also ride along with Boise Fire on the four-wheeler or in the side by side.
"The scope of that is that we have a lot of people that recreate in our department as well as Boise Fire and Eagle Fire," said Larosa. "The knowledge of the area is very important overall for us to get to a location, we know where the roads go and if worst comes to worst, we can also call in a helicopter."
However, every call spreads resources thin for first responders so people can do their part by being prepared when hitting the trails.
"Definitely wear a helmet if you are going to be on a bike, it’s a game changer if you have an accident," said Miller. "Hydrate and take water, know your ability level and stay within that and also have a charged cell phone, that makes a huge difference."
Dispatch can help guide first responders to your location through your call, but some places in the foothills and in the gulches don't have service. It's always a good idea to go in groups or at least let people know where you are going and when you expect to be back.
