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2013 Notable Incidents- EMS
A Busy Day
Wednesday March 6th - Incident #’s 215-220
The 3 Paramedics working C-shift came on duty at 07:30. They would later wish they had eaten
a bigger breakfast. Weather would play a factor throughout the day as heavy snow was falling.
The first call came in at 07:49 a three-car accident on Main Street in front of the Casino.
Multiple patients required extra assistance from both off-duty and volunteer personnel. One
person was transported to the hospital.
A second page out for a two-car accident at the Sun Valley and Saddle Road intersection was
issued at 08:06. A paramedic from the first call ran back to the station to meet additional off
duty/volunteer responders and respond in a second ambulance. The Greenhorn ambulance
moved up to Ketchum to provide coverage.
At 11:14 the department was paged for a two-car accident, one car into a power pole at
Highway 75 and the hospital. Crews found a GMC Yukon had a near head-on accident and then
crashed into a power pole severing the pole at its base. The responders transported a 5-month
old to the hospital. The highway was briefly shut down while Idaho Power secured the pole.
At 11:44 there was a 2 car accident on highway 75 near Gimlet. One occupant was trapped
inside his car with a severe leg injury. Both the rural station engines responded for the
extensive auto extrication using hydraulic rescue tools such as the Jaws of Life. The car doors
and roof had to be removed to free the patient. Wood River Fire and Rescue provided
coverage while the department was tied up on this call.
Ketchum Paramedics treat the patient as firefighters remove the doors and roof of the car.
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At 14:10 the department was paged for an injured snowmobiler at Frenchman’s Creek (headwaters of
the Salmon near Smiley Creek). We received an update that the Patient was located 12 to 14 miles from
the road up a mountain in the remote backcountry of the Headwaters/Big Smokey divide. A
backcountry rescue page was issued. The rescue was complicated by the weather. It was snowing
heavily, creating white-out conditions while traveling over the summit. Helicopters were not able to fly.
The avalanche conditions were Considerable on the terrain we would have to travel. Ketchum Fire
established an Incident Command Post at the Frenchman’s Creek highway turn-out. Members traveled
by snowmobile to a forward staging area where some prepared to ski in with a toboggan. A Paramedic
was able to travel in with the Sun Valley Fire snowmobile team and Blaine County Search and Rescue to
the patient at 16:29. The Paramedic was able to administer enough pain medication to the Pt to allow
him to be moved. A small weather window opened over the accident site. Sun Valley Heli Ski, which
had been on standby, took the opportunity to launch. At 17:57 the helicopter was able to pick up the
patient and the paramedic just as the storm closed in. Had the helicopter not been able to respond, the
crews and the patient would have spent the night in the field and continued the rescue in daylight. The
patient was delivered directly to the hospital at 18:28. Doctors reported that the patient’s leg injury was
so severe they would have likely amputated had the patient not arrived at the Emergency Room when
he did. All responders returned to the highway at 20:37 as night fell. Ketchum Fire provided the
command structure which managed this incident. Responders came from Ketchum Fire, Sun Valley Fire,
Wood River Fire and Rescue, Smiley Creek Fire, Blaine County Sheriff SAR, the Sawtooth Avalanche
Center, and Sun Valley Heli Ski. 23 responders deployed into the field. This incident is why we host an
annual meeting to coordinate rescue in the Wood River Sawtooth Valleys. Our combined efforts can
achieve great results. This call also identified the need for additional training for our paramedics in
advanced snowmobiling techniques and to sharpen our avalanche terrain travel skills. We need to
support our members’ personal preparedness in regards to clothing and backcountry skis however we
can. Our customers are recreating in increasingly remote and challenging terrain. If our training does
not keep up we will be placing our members at increased risk.
Severe fracture of the right Tibia and Fibula.
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Rescue team members pull the patient through waist deep snow to the helicopter
Sun Valley HeliSki helicopter made a daring landing in the backcountry. The helicopter departed just as
visibility deteriorated and it began to snow again.
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While the snowmobile call was going on we still need to be staffed to respond to other
emergencies in our district. At 18:17 Ketchum and Sun Valley were dispatched to Trail Creek
Cabin for a patient with difficulty breathing. Members assessed the patient, established an IV
and administered medications to stabilize the patient. The patient was transported to the
Emergency Room.
It was approaching midnight when all the equipment used during the day was placed back in
service. Members had some dinner and called it a day. The responses required all of our
members and their expertise to accomplish them. The day relied heavily on the close working
relationships which we foster with other agencies. All our patients received prompt expert
care. All of our members returned safely to their families. “A very successful day”
MASSV Concert, July 5-6 - Incident #’s 482-489 495, 496, 498
On July 5, 2013 the concert MASSV came to Ketchum with music and a light show to draw
family’s and young people’s interest. The concert started in the early evening of Friday, July 5,
2013 and continued through the evening of July 6, 2013. During this forty eight hour period the
venue was inspected both days for fire safety with difficult access found in most of the camping
area. During this two day period the Ketchum Fire Department responded to eight overdose
calls, one injury call and one vehicle roll-over related to the MASSV concert. Two of the
overdose calls resulted in assisted ventilation support because the patients had stopped
breathing. We discovered that responding two ambulances at a time gave us the support we
needed and in many cases the second ambulance was called for prior to returning to service.
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Anaphylaxis in Smiley Creek, August 8 - Incident # 599
On August 8, 2013, the Ketchum Fire Department received a page for an unconscious male
located in Smiley Creek, approximately 38 miles away from the firehouse, at the northern
reaches of Ketchum’s response district. The on-duty crew immediately responded with a
paramedic and a crew of three from Ketchum’s main station. Due to the distance and the
windy roads of the summit, it would take 46 minutes for the ambulance to arrive on scene.
As luck would have it, an off-duty Ketchum Fire Department paramedic was headed to Stanley
and had her pager on in the car. The paramedic could not understand the initial page-out
because it was scratchy and difficult to hear, and she almost dismissed it, expecting that it was
not likely to be over the hill. With the pager to her ear, the paramedic was able to hear the
repeated transmission and realized that she was just coming up on Smiley Creek and would
rapidly be able to access the patient.
The patient had been found outside the fire station by a volunteer and appeared to be in
cardiac arrest. As the Ketchum paramedic arrived on scene, two Smiley Creek firefighters
began to ventilate the patient with a bag valve mask attached to oxygen. The patient initially
was unresponsive and was gasping for air. With the oxygen and ventilations, the patient
became responsive enough to be able to speak in one word sentences but was still in severe
distress and was disoriented. Although he huffed out a “no” when asked if he was allergic to
anything, a few moments later, the patient was able to express that hornets had stung him.
The ambulance was still approximately 40 minutes out. The Ketchum paramedic had a
department-issued medic bag with limited supplies and was able to quickly administer
epinephrine intramuscularly, start an IV and administer a fluid bolus. The paramedic was able
to update the ambulance and request an air ambulance over her radio. The patient’s condition
improved, but he was still not fully coherent. Benadryl was administered and a second dose of
Epinephrine finally helped stabilize the patient and allowed him to breathe more comfortably.
Meanwhile, additional Smiley Creek firefighters had arrived and worked seamlessly with
Ketchum’s paramedic to assist with treating and packaging the patient. The Stanley ambulance
arrived and the air ambulance was cancelled. The patient was driven down the highway to a
rendezvous point with Ketchum’s ambulance. The patient was transferred to ambulance 22’s
crew who cared for the patient and continued to monitor and treat him.
This emergency easily could have had a tragic ending; fortunately, a number of factors lined up
to save this gentleman’s life. To begin with, the department, due to Chief Elle’s foresight and
guidance, recently completed the Smiley Creek Radio Link, enabling communication in an area
that previously would not have been accessible to pager or by handheld radio. Without the
communication, the paramedic likely would have missed the call and would have unknowingly
driven passed the scene. Additionally, the full-time staff’s commitment to the public means
that even when they are off-shift, they, along with Ketchum’s volunteers, take pride in helping
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people 24-7. They usually monitor their radios and are ready to respond even on vacation,
when they are out of their response area in neighboring Custer County. Furthermore, the
Ketchum Fire Department and the Blaine County Ambulance District Medical director have
provided our paramedics with the medication and emergency supplies needed to make a
difference in extreme emergencies. Without these medications and the training to administer
them, the patient would not likely have survived.
2013 Notable Incidents- Rescues
Mutual Aid to Wood River Fire & Rescue Backcountry Rescue, June 8 -9 Incident # 404
A 21 year old “speed flyer” crashed near the top of Lookout Mountain in Bellevue and fractured
his femur. Wood River Fire and Rescue responded for patient care. At 21:03 they requested
Mutual Aid from the Ketchum/Sun Valley Backcountry Medical Team to provide equipment and
personnel to assist with the rescue. 6 members of the Team responded with the TSU and the
Backcountry Rescue Trailer. Darkness fell as they drove to the Command Post. Helicopters
were unable to land near the patient due to steep terrain. A rope rescue was required to lower
the patient down the mountain. 4 of the team members were flown by Air St. Luke’s helicopter
to the top of Lookout Mountain (7,480ft). They hiked down to the patient with a litter and
ropes. The WRFR personnel placed the patient into the litter and provided personnel to carry
the litter. Our members operated the rope lowering systems. The lack of trees or large rocks
to serve as anchors required our members to hammer pickets (steel bars) into the ground to
build anchors. They then lowered the litter team 600 feet (the length of the ropes) and
repeated the process. Teams worked throughout the night running approximately 4,600ft of
rope through the lowering system. They reached flat ground (5,111ft) at first light and
delivered the patient to the awaiting Air Ambulance. The patient was flown directly to Boise
where he underwent surgery. The patient is expected to recover. News coverage of this event
can be viewed at http://www.ktvb.com/news/Blaine-County-man-rescued-off-Lookout-Mountain210946561.html
The Ketchum Fire, Sun Valley Fire and Wood River Fire and Rescue backcountry rescue teams
have received common training and schedule joint training drills. This familiarity allowed
members from different teams to work flawlessly together. This call served as another example
of how our joint efforts provide a better product to our customers.
Backcountry Rescue, Pioneer Cabin June - Incident # 429
During the annual Fire Department Expo the Ketchum Fire Department was paged for an adult
male experiencing an allergic reaction to peanuts on the trail to the Pioneer Cabin. The patient
was reported to be on the ridge at the top of the switch backs, approximately two miles and
two thousand vertical feet from the trail head. Knowing the possible severity of this call we
requested the Air Ambulance that was en-route to the Expo to divert to the scene and attempt
to locate and treat the patient. Additionally we sent one Paramedic and one Advanced EMT to
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borrow the Rokon Motorcycles form the Blaine County Recreation District. After hitching up to
the trailer the team responded to the trail head at the end of the Corral Creek Rd. Because of
the motorcycle component the patient was reached much quicker and treatment was initiated
much earlier than would have been the case if the team had hiked in. The patient refused
transport by the Air Ambulance and was moved to the trail head on the back of the motorcycle.
The patient was in the initial stages of an anaphylactic reaction when the Paramedic arrived to
his location. It is felt that without the use of motorcycles the patient would have been in much
worse condition with this life threatening reaction. In the end the Team reversed the symptoms
of the allergy attack and the patient rode home with his wife from the trail head. It was
determined that he had eaten a power bar that was manufactured in a facility that handles
peanuts in their other products.
2013 Notable Incidents- Motor Vehicle Crashes
The Ketchum Fire Department responded to 44 motor vehicle crashes in 2013 with multiple
patients transported to the hospital.
UPS Truck into Building, August 8th - Incident #597
KFD was dispatched to a report of a UPS truck that had rolled down the hill on 5th street and had
struck the Hospice Building (and had run over a stop sign and fire hydrant). Paid-on-call
Member Varner arrived on scene and provided size-up. Engine 1 arrived and assumed
command, ensured that no occupants were trapped or in danger of collapse, secured the vehicle,
checked for utility hazards and secured/turned off the gas. No one was injured in the accident.
The other half of the building was evacuated, the vehicle was stabilized, and utilities were shut
off to the structure. Utilities were requested. No leakage or fire was present with the crashed
truck. Water Department arrived and repaired the hydrant. The Street Department arrived and
repaired the street sign. The building was shored with temporary Paratech shoring and then was
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stabilized and secured with 2x4's and plywood, under the direction of Squad Leader and
carpenter Schwartz. Power was turned off to the building. Chief Elle assisted Hospice with
providing power to the northern half of the building to allow them to continue their vital
community service. The Building Inspector was not available so a structural engineer was
brought on scene, David Groverman, who inspected the entire structure and deemed the north
half safe for occupancy. Tow truck arrived and towed UPS truck from premises, E1 and E3's
crew ensured no leakage or cleanup needed after removal of truck. Engine 3's crew stayed on
scene until building was shored and secured.
2013 Notable Incidents- Wildland Fires
With the continued drought for most of the western states resulted in a very busy wildland season
for the Ketchum Fire Department. The department responded to 6 wildand fires throughout
Blaine and Camas Counties, extinguished 9 unattended or escaped camp fires long with
responding to and investigating 16 smoke scares.
Ohio Gulch Fire, April 25th - Incident # 333
Wood River Fire and Rescue (WRFR) was dispatched and responded to a report of a wildland
fire in Ohio Gulch between the Blaine County Gun Club and the Ohio Gulch Transfer Station at
1712 hours. This fire was located in WRFR's fire district and WRFR requested mutual aid from
Ketchum Fire Department at 1726 hours. Chief 10, Engine 2, and Tanker 2, responded as part
of the North Valley Task Force. Upon arrival at 1742 hours Chief 10 (Robbie Englehart) was
assigned to operations. Crews from E2 and T2 were assembled into a hand crew and assigned
to the west flank of the fire. Engineer Mike Witthar was assigned as supervisor of the west
flank division. T2 was assigned to water supply with one crew member. Utilizing progressive
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hose lays connected to WRFR E51 and hand tools this hand crew provided direct attack on the
west flank of the fire. The west flank hand crew knocked down the fire and worked the
perimeter until they tied in with the east flank hand crew. The fire was declared contained at
1843 hours and was contained at approximately 3 acres. Interior hot spots were extinguished
using hand tools and hoselines. Crews were released upon complete extinguishment. All KFD
resources were placed in service by 2052 hours.
McCan Fire, August 8 - Incident # 600
Blaine County Fire Departments were notified of a Mutual Aid request from South Central
Dispatch for a Strike Team of engines for a lightening caused wildland fire started on BLM land
threatening structures in Camas County. Engine 10 responded with a crew of 3 to the Incident
Command Post east of Fairfield. E10 was instructed to meet up with Dennis Smith (BLM) at the
intersection of 200 West and the 470 Rd. Upon arrival the Strike Team was directed to a ranch
off the 470 Rd. to provide structure protect at a large ranch. Utilizing tank water and F.S
handlines E10's crew provided perimeter protection to a number of out buildings. At approx.
0100 E10 was resigned to a ranch located near the golf course, again providing structure
protection for a large barn and house as the fire front swept past the structures. On 8/09/13 at
12:33pm E10 was demobilized and returned to Station 1 and back in-service at 1630.
Beaver Creek Fire, August 7-28 - Incident # 622
Southern Idaho experienced a series of significant lightning event from August 6th through the
9th starting numerous fires, four of these fires quickly became large fires. Beaver Creek fire was
the eastern most of these large fires and initially was complexed with the McCan fire. It was
also recognized that the Beaver Creek fire had the potential to move toward the communities
of Hailey and Ketchum. The fire was primarily on the Fairfield District at the time, but rapidly
moving to the Ketchum District. The Great Basin Incident Management Team 1 (GBTI-Lund) was
ordered on August 10th to report the afternoon of August 11th to brief in Fairfield, ID. A short
transition with John Kidd's Type 2 Team took place on the evening of August 11, and GBTI
assumed command of the Beaver creek incident on August 12th at 0600. Unified Command
with Ketchum Fire Chief Mike Elle, Wood River Fire Chief Bart Lassman and Great Basin Team 1
was established on August 13. Ketchum Assistant Chief Robbie Englehart and Wood River Fire &
Rescue Chief Jeff Nevins were assigned to the team as Division Supervisor Trainees. A Unified
Structure Protection Group was established utilizing local and regional structure engines and
four KFD members (Squad Leader Rick Robertson, Squad Leader Pete Schwartz, Engineer Don
Nurge and Engineer Eric Daigh) were assigned as Strike Team Leaders. The primary focus of this
mobile force was to assist with structure protection in areas where the fire was impacting the
hardest each day.
On August 15, the fire had gained ground at the head of Greenhorn Gulch and made a huge run
down Imperial Gulch towards Greenhorn Gulch Road. The entire wildland area above the
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structures on Greenhorn Road was comprised of heavy timber with some heavy ground fuels
under the canopy. The westerly winds pushed the smoke column over the entire drainage
causing numerous spot fires to start in the lighter brush fuels below and behind the buildings.
Throughout the afternoon and evening the Structure Protection Group provided Point
Protection and Bump and Run tactics as the fire burned easterly in Greenhorn Gulch. Through
what were widely viewed as heroic efforts, local firefighters saved 30 homes and extinguishing
numerous spot fires on wood shingled roofs in the Greenhorn, Golden Eagle and Timber Gulch
subdivisions with no injuries reported.
A similar situation arose in the early-morning hours of Aug. 17th, Hailey residents watched the
sky over Carbonate Mountain get redder and redder. At about 2:30 a.m., flames appeared over
the ridge and bore down on the town along with structures in Croy Canyon. Once again the
Structure Protection Group was commended for valiant efforts of keeping the fire at bay and
saving the homes on Rodeo Drive and the Animal Shelter.
In all, 36 members of the Ketchum Fire Department worked a combined total 2,138.5 hours in a
two week period of the Beaver Creek Fire.
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Notable Incidents- Weather
Flash Flooding/Mudslides, Greenhorn Gulch September 13-14th –
Incident #’s 711, 715
For several years after the Castle Rock Fire the area saw debris flows (mudslides) and flash
floods. These events primarily occurred on the dirt section of Warm Springs Road. Private
property was not affected by these events and the road could rapidly be cleaned and reopened.
The Beaver Creek Fire brought these events onto private property in the Greenhorn
Subdivision. The first storms occurred just after the fire was declared under control and before
any mitigation work could be implemented. Debris flows left yards filled with mud and rocks.
Flash flood waters severely damaged several homes. Damage to the private Greenhorn Gulch
Road required a road closure and extensive repair.
Every heavy rain storm now brings the threat of new damage from these events. Many owners
have taken costly measures to protect their homes and the road. Every new event requires
that the mud and rocks be removed from barriers and culverts to maintain their effectiveness.
The Fire Department will again need to train on how to respond to these events. Training
combines skills from swift water, avalanche and building collapse rescue. Lessons learned from
events in California and Colorado have also been incorporated.
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2013 Notable Incidents- Hazardous Materials
Improvised Explosive Device , East Fork Road April 24 - Incident #330
The Department was dispatched at 17:08 to a report of what appeared to be an improvised
Explosive Device (IED) in a mail box at the intersection of East Fork Road and Hyndman View
Drive. This was our first experience with a call of this nature so we had to rely on training we
received following September 11th. Responders consulted terrorism response guides to
determine an isolation distance. The perimeter required shutting down East Fork Road. A
conference call with Idaho State Communications resulted in the Twin Falls Bomb Squad
responding to the incident. The Fire Department maintained the perimeter and provided Fire
and EMS support to the incident. The Bomb Squad rendered the IED safe and we neutralized
the resulting HazMat spill. East Fork Road was reopened and all Fire/EMS units were released
at 22:12.
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