VIDEO: Spokane Regional Air Support Unit Rescues Stranded

VIDEO can be viewed on the Sheriff’s Office YouTube Channel or Facebook page.

Spokane Regional Air Support Unit Rescues Stranded
Rescued Victim Donates $10,000 to ASU, Wishes to Remain Anonymous

The Spokane Regional Air Support Unit’s Rescue 3 crew rescued a 37-year-old climber who became stranded overnight on a small cliff ledge. The climber mistakenly took the wrong route while descending a mountain and became trapped with no safe way to climb up or down. Requested by the Washington State Emergency Operations Center, Rescue 3 located the climber and successfully hoisted him to safety after he spent nearly 18 hours stranded on the mountainside.

On July 31, the crew of Rescue 3 from the Spokane Regional Air Support Unit responded to Mount Daniel to rescue a 37-year-old climber. The climber had left the Cathedral Rock Trailhead at 5 a.m. on July 30 and reached the summit in the late afternoon. While descending from the summit, he mistakenly took the wrong route, which led him down a rock spire and onto a small cliff ledge around 6 p.m. With no safe way to climb up or down, he remained stranded overnight.

After receiving a request from the Washington State Emergency Operations Center, the Rescue 3 crew launched from Felts Field at 8 a.m. on July 31 and arrived in the area shortly after 11 a.m. Pilots Dave Valenti and Jack Scanlon navigated to GPS coordinates provided for the climber’s last known location.

 The crew located the climber on the side of a cliff, standing on a ledge only a few square feet in size. Crew Chief Jeff Welton lowered Helicopter Rescue Medic Scott Niebuhr directly onto the ledge next to the climber. Niebuhr secured the climber using an Air Rescue Vest in a “quick pick” configuration and secured the climber’s belongings to the waist belt of his flight harness.

The climber and Niebuhr were successfully hoisted from the ledge and back into the cabin of Rescue 3.

Once inside the helicopter, the climber was medically evaluated by Helicopter Rescue Medics John Dugger and Niebuhr. The climber reported that after spending approximately 13 hours climbing the mountain, he was stranded on the ledge for nearly 18 additional hours. Throughout the night, he was only able to sleep for 5 to 10 minutes at a time because of the cold and fear of falling from the ledge.

The climber described the experience as the toughest situation he had ever faced and said he became unsure whether he would survive.

 The climber was safely transported to the ground and medically cleared to return home.

Rescue 3 Flight Crew

Pilot:                                                             Chief Pilot Dave Valenti
Pilot:                                                             Senior Command Pilot Jack Scanlon

Crew Chief:                                                 J. Welton, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Corporal
Helicopter Rescue Medic:                          S. Niebuhr, Spokane Valley Fire Department Captain/Paramedic
Helicopter Rescue Medic:                          J. Duggar, Spokane County Fire District 4 Firefighter/Paramedic

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