A hiker's serene Sunday trek turned dicey in Gold Strike Canyon, prompting a search and rescue mission led by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's (LVMPD) Search and Rescue (SAR) team. The LVMPD SAR took to their social media to recount the rescue operation that unfolded last Sunday.
According to the LVMPD SAR post, after receiving the distress signal, SAR personnel on board their helicopter, designated AIR1, were dispatched to the scene. The National Park Service (NPS) Rangers were the first responders to reach the injured victim, providing immediate care to the hiker who had suffered a leg injury while exploring the canyon.
In a coordinated effort to ensure the safety of the individual, two SAR officers were lowered into the rugged terrain of Gold Strike Canyon. They used a hoist system to prepare the victim for extraction. "Two SAR officers were inserted via hoist and packaged the victim into our litter," the post detailed. The SAR officials' expertise ensured the victim was securely fastened into the litter—a stretcher designed for such high-risk evacuations.
The extraction of the hiker, facilitated through a litter hoist, was executed without a hitch. After being carefully lifted out of the canyon, the victim was received by ground ambulance personnel waiting at a safe distance from the precarious canyon. "The victim was extracted via a litter hoist, transferred to ground ambulance and subsequently transported to a local hospital," the LVMPD SAR confirmed in their online briefing. The coordination between the various rescue agencies underlines the collaborative efforts routinely enacted in the face of outdoor misadventures.
