A Valley man was rescued Saturday, Nov. 8, after he spent a night stranded on a ledge in Boynton Canyon.
Around noon on Saturday, the Sedona Fire District received a call from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue asking SFD’s Technical Rescue Team to assist in a rescue.
According to policy, the county is responsible for rescues. SFD normally gets involved only if injuries are reported, SFD Battalion Chief Jayson Coil said, though they don’t always wait for someone to be injured to respond.
By Alison Ecklund
Larson Newspapers
A Valley man was rescued Saturday, Nov. 8, after he spent a night stranded on a ledge in Boynton Canyon.
Around noon on Saturday, the Sedona Fire District received a call from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue asking SFD’s Technical Rescue Team to assist in a rescue.
According to policy, the county is responsible for rescues. SFD normally gets involved only if injuries are reported, SFD Battalion Chief Jayson Coil said, though they don’t always wait for someone to be injured to respond.
When Search and Rescue reached the man Saturday morning, it was determined he suffered injuries and SFD was dispatched.
Since all SFD firefighters are trained for a hike-in rescue, an engine and two ambulances from the closest station — Station No. 1 in West Sedona — responded, Coil said.
The man was hiking with his family Friday, Nov. 7, when he started climbing steeper cliffs in the canyon wearing cowboy boots.
According to Coil, the man left an empty water bottle on the trail to find his way back, but after climbing for a while, he realized he couldn’t get back down.
Family members called for help, but unable to make physical contact and facing impending darkness, rescuers were forced to call off the search for the night.
The man remained nearly 700 feet above the canyon valley overnight Friday, with nothing to prepare him for the temperature as it dipped into the low 40s.
Shortly after SFD arrived Saturday, the Arizona Department of Public Safety was called to short haul the man from the ledge. The helicopter was called in order to get him out before dark and to avoid injuries from the treacherous terrain to the hiker and rescuers.
The short haul technique allows for a rapid extraction of a victim in remote areas where a helicopter is unable to land safely, SFD Public Information Officer Gary Johnson said.
The patient is placed into a basket for support and stabilization and accompanied by a medic. Both individuals are suspended below the helicopter while they are flown to safety.
At the trailhead, the patient was transferred to Guardian Air Ambulance “Angel 3” for transport to Flagstaff Medical Center, Johnson said.
The man is expected to completely recover from his injuries, Coil said.
The call was the first time SFD and DPS have worked together since DPS Officer Bruce Harrolle died Oct. 13 while rescuing two stranded hikers on Bear Mountain.
The rescue went smoothly on Saturday, Coil said, and it was good to work together again.
Alison Ecklund can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 125, or e-mail aecklund@larsonnewspapers.com
