Two teenagers were found safe after a nighttime search near Red Rocks. Crews used a cellphone signal, a topographical map and a thermal imaging camera during the search.
According to KDVR, West Metro Fire Rescue received a 911 call for help around 12:45 a.m.
Foothills Fire & Rescue responded to the area and narrowed down the girls' whereabouts using their cellphone signal overlaid with a topographical map, per the same KDVR account. West Metro's Medic 10 crew then used a thermal imaging camera to pick out the teens' heat signatures in the darkness.
A Late Night With a Better Ending
West Metro Fire Rescue described the overnight episode as a late night with a much better ending, crediting a 911 call and teamwork. The girls were found and were both okay, per West Metro Fire Rescue's account relayed in the same report.
Crews combined a cellphone signal, careful map work and thermal technology in the search.
Rescue Calls Across Colorado's Backcountry
The Red Rocks search fits into a larger pattern across Colorado's backcountry. Rescue calls have surged, according to Colorado Public Radio.
Crowds, inexperience and social media have also figured in discussions of Colorado backcountry rescues.
The Colorado Search and Rescue Association counts roughly 50 backcountry search-and-rescue teams statewide, responding across urban and suburban areas as well as the state's peaks, cliff walls, rivers, deserts and canyons, according to the Colorado Search and Rescue Association. The group says its published volunteer-hour figures do not even account for roughly 400,000 additional hours of on-call duty logged each year.
