HAM RADIO Saves injured hiker

From the July/August 2009 Issue of THE CREST SUN

"Injured Crest Resident Rescued with Neighbor's Help
By Roger Mullins (KF6UPP)

Friday afternoon May 22nd Crest resident Sylvia Binley was walking her two
Labrador pups on the rugged trail that runs south from Crest down to the Singing
Hills Golf Course. About a mile south of South Lane, in an area called "Figure
8's", she slipped and fell breaking two bones in her lower leg just above the
ankle. While still holding her two dogs managed to crawl about 100 yards back up
the steep trail. She was there for a while before Crest resident, John Katchur,
walking his sheep dog Harry, hiked down the trail. John said he was just about
to turn around to head back up the trail when Harry heard Sylvia and led John to
her location. John had a cell phone with him so he tried to call 911. Because
there was a brush fire a few miles away, near Willow Glen, 911 was busy and put
him on hold. Sylvia gave John my name so he called directory assistance, got my
number then called me and told me where he and Sylvia were. I grabbed some water
and headed down the trail in my Jeep.
For those not familiar with the trail, it is very steep, slick and highly
eroded. The only vehicles that can navigate it are bikes and 4 Wheel Drive
vehicles. When I reached Sylvia and John, Sylvia was sitting, in obvious great
pain with John supporting her sitting position while trying to hold the three
dogs. We still couldn't get through to 911 so I used the HAM radio in my Jeep to
make an emergency call through the Monument Peak HAM radio repeater.
HAM operator Tom Carmody (KJ6TDC) in Ramona heard my emergency call and offered
to relay information to emergency services. Tom stayed on the air with me
throughout the incident. Tom's aid was key to getting us help.
While we were waiting the Emergency Service people were having difficulty
finding our location. I could hear and see them going down Eucalyptus Drive and
Descanso Lane but we were about ½ mile west of where they were looking,
A bit later Crest resident, Kyle Bolton, arrived on a quad bringing more water
as well as help to manage the dogs and support Sylvia's. Kyle had been on the
scene before I arrived and went to the Crest Fire station to seek help. There
was no one at the fire station so he returned to the trailhead to direct
rescuers to our location.
Once we got information to 911, Brett and Cheryl Medinger heard the emergency
call on the Fire Department radio. Brett is an El Cajon Firefighter. Brett
quickly figured out our location and he and Cheryl drove down the trail in their
Jeep along with Jamie and Chris Fransway. Jamie is also an El Cajon Firefighter
and Chris is with the Chula Vista FD. Jamie and Chris drove a 4X4 Utility
Vehicle. While Chris administered first aid, Jamie returned to South Lane and
transported EMTs to the location then returned for more firefighters and
equipment. None of the Fire Departments have vehicles capable of negotiating the
trail.
A short time later a Sheriff's helicopter arrived, landing nearby. After
stabilizing Sylvia and placing her on a stretcher the firefighters carried her
to the waiting helicopter which flew her to an ambulance waiting on South Lane.
Sylvia's injury included both a broken tibia and fibula just above the ankle as
well as scraped hands and knees from crawling. She is expected to fully recover.
Had John Katcher not found Sylvia the story could have been much worse."

And the letter from the victim
"Letter to the Editor:
Thanks From Sylvia Binley
By now, you have probably heard of or read Roger Mullins' article on my rescue
of May 22 by Crest residents. I want to thank all of you for saving me and to
apologize to any residents I may have inconvenienced.
Most immediate thanks goes to John Katchur. Having broken my leg, I had been
crawling up the trail for about an hour when I finally gave up. I thought I was
seeing things when a giant white-faced prancing dog, Harry, trotted up to me and
gave me a lick. John soon appeared, and never left my side. Although I just met
him, I will always "be there" for him and his family.
Thanks goes to so many others. Kyle Bolton gave me water and went for help.
Roger Mullins responded immediately and used his HAM radio to get medical
assistance when 911 was busy with a nearby fire.
I want to also thank all the other residents, including paramedics, who gave me
aid, talked to me to keep me calm, and helped to put me into the helicopter (a
ride I will always remember!).
The surgeon honored my request and released me to come home in 24 hours of my
hospital arrival. I was pleasantly surprised, as was Mickey Johnston who
transported me home. A call for help went out to Judy and Mike Hoagland, who
quickly readied my home, provided medical equipment and met us with a delicious
meal. My friends have spent days cooking, cleaning, and meeting my every need.
They will not easily be repaid.
I did not know most of you, so you gave of yourselves to an unknown neighbor.
Until I can walk and better repay you, THANK YOU!
Sylvia Binley"

Ham Radio saves the day again!!!
(submitted by)
Pat Bunsold WA6MHZ
ARRL Emergency Coordinator- Crest, CA

 

Cool.

In addition to being a amateur radio hobbyist, I'm also into "off-roading" or as some call it, "Jeeping". This artical not only shows that amateurs are important, but having a good capable 4x4 and the knowledge to safely and effectively operate it can be valuable as well. I've wanted to start a club for those in the off-road hobby that would also be willing to train and give their time as search volunteers.

I'm always glad to see when something like this happens and all parties involved are safe and alive.

 

Interestingly enough, the town this lady lives in is a perfect place to set up a repeater station; there actually is a repeater on the hilltop, but she never would have been able to use it, since she's not a ham - and I doubt you could talk her in to taking a license test.

But I'm wondering if communities like this would benefit from a GMRS repeater and getting people together to learn about true GMRS radios - not the $20 Wal-mart specials, but actual UHF programmable HT's that can work the repeaters. That can easily work in to an interest in amateur radio for some, and it can also give existing hams another way to communicate.

It's not ham radio, but there's little difference between a 460 MHz GMRS repeater and a 440 MHz amateur repeater... the two can even use the same gear, and you can do things with GMRS you can't do with amateur radio...

 

There is a great repeater on the West edge of the Town, the WA6BGS repeater for the ARC of El Cajon. About mile or 2 from my house. It has 2, 222 and 450 inputs and can be all linked.

I spoke to the Town Council about the benefits of Amateur Radio and they were very enthused. Thus, my antennas are very welcome. But I did mention FRS for very limited local communication, which would be good for families in a disaster. So far, nothing has developed from it, but I suppose alot went out and got the cheap HTs. GMRS is a pricey venture and there are no funds to pay for it. Users would have to get a GMRS license, which I doubt is free, and the HTs would be pricey too, probably more than a Ham HT!
So, FRS will have to do until we can get more Hams up here. I sure have enough radios to supply the town in an emergency.

 

its a lot cheaper to go out and get your technician license at $14 with a test and better coverage. then the GMRS at $85 "the last i checked" with few people using and less coverage due to lack of use in many areas.

 

Just another suggestion - if you go out on one of these calls - carry a GPS so you can give the EMT's a lat/lon to shoot for. Here in Nevada where I live, you can get seriously lost just a short distance from town, and if you were trying to describe your position, it would be difficult. A cheap GPS gets you pretty close!

 

In 2009... It never ceases to amaze me, the importance of "real" communication up in the wilderness.

Just two days ago, I was at 2200' working HF QRP, at a camp site, waiting for a non-ham friend to hike to me in darkness. He did not show up 2 hours later after he hit the trail (1.7 mile 1k vertical) and I was worried, trying to reach him on his cell was pointless.

I grabbed my HT, and could hit over 10 repeaters just in case, and headed out towards him with basic first aid and HT in tow. Of course, I found him 15 minutes later, saw his headlamp. Then introduced him to some QRP on 2k mi paths the next morning!

BTW, the area is sparsely covered by APRS DIGIS, and even with 5w in total tree cover, hit a couple several dozens of miles away.

Keep up the fine work, OM's. Cell Phones are still useless in wilderness. And I was only 10mi away from 'civilization' of Bennington, VT

Nice Story with a positive ending.

73