Vail Valley has backcountry backup

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — In August, the Young family of Gypsum was enjoying a camping outing on Crooked Creek Pass when near disaster struck.

“Two members of the family were riding on a four-wheeler and somehow they hit a tree,” said Shawn Moore of the Greater Eagle Fire District.

The vehicle's driver was shaken up in the crash. The passenger was thrown nearly 30 feet, suffering a broken pelvis and a concussion. The passenger required Flight for Life transportation to Denver. However, a month after the accident, the young man walked into the Eagle Fire Station to thank his rescuers for their quick actions that day.

Last August was a success story all around, and it is the kind of story local emergency workers hope to duplicate every time they are called out. Backcountry responses — both search and rescue missions — are regular fare for fire departments, ambulance workers, law enforcement officers and Vail Mountain Rescue, the local organization that specializes in such work.

“The backcounty is what everyone come to this valley for,” said Moore.

“And 75 percent of our district is backcountry,” added fellow Eagle firefighter Mark Currier.

Both Moore and Currier were on the scene of the ATV crash last August. They said the mission's success was tied to several factors including a combination of training, equipment and time.

The training aspect comes from gathering the various jurisdictions who participate in backcountry rescues in non-emergency situations. By training together, Moore says, different entities become familiar with each other's personnel and equipment — knowledge that proves invaluable when an emergency call goes out.

Specialty equipment is another plus for local agencies. In Eagle, for example, the department has its own 4-wheeler, called “Fetch,” which can take personnel right to the scene of an accident or cover lots of backcountry during a search.

The final factor is time — and that's where backcountry calls can get dicey.

“They always talk about the golden hour for emergency calls,” said Moore.

The golden hour refers to rescuers' goal of reaching the scene of an accident and getting a victim to a hospital within 60 minutes. “When the backcountry is involved, that pretty much goes out the window,” said Moore.

“Just getting to the scene ... that's what takes the most time, most of the time,” said Currier.

In the August case, for example, the drive to the scene above Sylvan Lake took about an hour. All told, it took about three hours to complete the mission and transport the victim out of the area by helicopter. And that wasn't even a particularly lengthy rescue.

“I spent the night out on the back side of Castle Peak last winter,” said Moore. I

n that case, a hunter had fallen from a horse and broken his leg. Snowy conditions prevented a helicopter landing and rescue crews had to sit tight with the victim until morning.

While some backcountry rescues take more time than others, Currier and Moore agreed that when it comes to getting hurt or lost in a remote spot, Eagle County is the kind of place that's better equipped to handle the emergency because so many different agencies are poised to respond.

Cost of rescue

But how much did it cost that hunter who fell from a horse or the member of the Young family to be rescued? The answer is nothing, with the exception of the cost of Flight for Life or an ambulance ride.

“The cost of a rescue is never passed along to the person who is lost or injured,” said Leslie Robertson, president of Vail Mountain Rescue, a nonprofit group of volunteers. “We don't want to charge because we want people to call immediately when they need help.”

Robertson said even when the Colorado National Guard and its helicopters are brought in to search for people who are lost, missing or hurt, there is no cost.

“They can chalk it up to training hours,” said Robertson.

Vail Mountain Rescue encourages all outdoor enthusiasts lost or hurt in the wilderness to call for help as soon as they think they might need it. The longer a person waits to call, the more dangerous it could get for the person and the rescue crews, said Robertson.

Although search and rescue missions are free to the person in need of help, being airlifted for a medical emergency or being put in an ambulance is not free of charge.

“You treat Flight for Life as you would an ambulance ride,” said Robertson.

Kathleen Mayer, the program director of Flight For Life, said the organization does not release the cost of an air transport. But Mayer said individual insurance policies may cover all, part or none of the cost and encourages people to look at their individual insurance plans to see if it covers air and ambulance rides.

“We don't screen patients for their ability to pay when there is an emergency,” said Mayer.

If a patient can not afford the cost, hospitals will work out payment plans or financial assistance, added Mayer.

No license guarantee

Despite many peoples' misconception, having a hunting or fishing license, a registered boat, snowmobile or off-road vehicle, or a Colorado Outdoor Recreation SAR Card, does not cover the cost of a medical evacuation. What it does do is reimburse Vail Mountain Rescue and other emergency responders for the cost of the search and rescue the organizations absorbed.

“A lot of people assume that it is insurance. It is not. It is just a good thing to do to support local teams, especially if you like biking, hiking, hunting, etc.,” said Robertson. “It is a thing to do for good karma.”

Vail Mountain Rescue averages between 70-to-80 missions a year in Eagle County. However, in 2008 the number of rescues rose to 102. Robertson attributes the spike to population growth and more people in the backcountry.

“It will result in more people hurt when more people are playing,” said Robertson.

Flight for Life does about 2,000 emergency evacuations a year in Colorado, said Mayer.