First responders in Taney County rescued an injured hiker over the weekend on a Lakeside Forest trail in Branson.
According to KYTV, Branson Batallion Chief Josh Boehm says the hiker suffered a medical issue at the bottom of a trailhead. He says the rescue was difficult because the hiker was located at the base of about 200 steps that zig zag back and forth up a hill.
After making access to the hiker, firefighters placed the patient into a stokes basket and used a rope-lowering system to move the hiker to the fire department’s water rescue boat. Firefighters then used the boat to take the patient upstream to the Cooper Creek Access, where Taney County Ambulance District paramedics treated the patient and transported the hiker to a local hospital. Boehm says firefighters spend time each year updating pre-plans for all parks and hiking trails in the city to identify access points to assist lost or injured hikers safely.
Boehm says, “one of the biggest takeaways is this is a recreation area, a wooded area right in the middle of city limits. People view that as I am not out in the remote wilderness, but you kind of are. Our tools really change. We use stokes baskets, rope systems, GPS units because its really hard to articulate where you are, particularly if people go off trail.”
Boehm says hikers are encouraged to hike in pairs, to have plenty of water, and a cell phone to call for help if needed.
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