Frederick County Independent Hose Company ATR Team Receives Montgomery County Fire Chief's Citation Award.

Frederick County, Maryland Advanced Tactical Rescue

Jared Brown
Steve Caho
Tom Coe
Peter Gorelick
Christopher Kunkle
Richard Lyons
Alex McKenna
John Patton
Mike Smallwood

On Thursday September 5, 2013, units from the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched for an injured child from a fall on Sugarloaf Mountain.
The crew from Paramedic Engine 709, first utilizing Utility 709 and eventually continuing on foot, began a search for the patient. Carrying their equipment up the mountain, the crew eventually located two patients on the rocks, 75' feet below the overview.
The first patient was a ten year old male who was designated a Priority 2, Category C trauma. The second patient, the child's father, had also fallen and experienced an orthopedic injury.
After consultation with park personnel, a decision was made to perform a slope evacuation, across very steep and rocky terrain. Additional crews from both counties were summoned. Upon their arrival, these crews traversed this terrain to assist with patient care and rescue. Frederick County's Advanced Tactical Rescue team also arrived and built two rope systems to affect the rescues.
The child was immobilized and secured in the Stokes Basket for lowering. Members of the Advanced Tactical Rescue team, utilizing the first rope system, descended with the patient, a height of approximately 150'. Then, utilizing the second rope system, the patient was moved another 75', across the rocks, and transferred to crews waiting on an established trail. The father was then secured in a second Stokes Basket and lowered via the same two rope systems.
The entire rescue operation took approximately 1 !4 hours at which time both patients were then transferred to a waiting Maryland State Police helicopter for transport to local trauma centers.
For providing extraordinary patient care while simultaneously demonstrating high levels of technical rescue skills, this Fire Chief's Unit Citation is awarded.