NEWS RELEASE

St. Louis County Presents 9-1-1 Lifesaver Award

The 2004 St. Louis County 9-1-1 Lifesaver Award will be presented Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 9:30 AM at the Hibbing City Hall E. 21st Street and 4th Avenue, Hibbing. Since 1993, the St. Louis County 9-1-1 Department has annually recognized the efforts of those individuals who have worked together, often compromising their own safety, to save the life of another person or persons. Not only does the 9-1-1 Lifesaver Award honor those worthy of such recognition, but it provides information to the public on how the 9-1-1 system works. This year, the 9-1-1 Lifesaver Award is being held in conjunction with national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week.

On November 11, 2003, at 4:14 PM, St. Louis County Dispatcher Tom Cusick received a 911 call reporting that a hunter had fallen from a tree. Cusick obtained patient and location information and entered the call to be dispatched to emergency personnel. At 4:15 PM, St. Louis County Dispatcher Monica Lovaas paged the Crane Lake Volunteer Fire Department to respond to the emergency. Crane Lake First Responders Kalie Klaysmat, John Klaysmat, Jason Anderson, and Butch Eggen responded to the call by going to the Crane Lake Fire Hall for the necessary transportation and rescue equipment.

The accident had occurred in an undeveloped area of the Superior National Forest about 4 miles west of Crane Lake. It was accessed from a gravel logging road, and unimproved trails. St. Louis County Dispatcher Linda Vukich advised that Medical Control at Cook Hospital was suggesting consideration of air medical evacuation, and the Crane Lake First Responders requested Luke’s One Helicopter for a scene transport, identifying an emergency Landing Zone as the helicopter’s destination. The Landing Zone was one of 7 spots which had been identified by the Crane Lake Fire Department and mapped years before, and Dispatchers were able to provide the helicopter with preliminary coordinates from a copy of the map in their possession.

St. Louis County Dispatcher Monica Lovaas paged the Sheriff’s Rescue Squad. The Crane Lake Rescue Truck arrived at the staging area at 4:45 PM, accompanied by 2 ATVs and the wheeled rescue cart. Orr Ambulance personnel Bruce Black, Curt Glass and Barb Johnson arrived. Luke ’s One lifted off from Superior at 4:48 PM, with a 45 minute Estimated Time of Arrival for the designated Landing Zone.

The rescuers traveled more than a mile by ATV on narrow, winding and rutted trails, and then had to walk approximately 75 yards through thick brush to where the hunter was found at the base of a tree. They found him still conscious, and complaining of neck pain. While the rescuers assessed the hunter’s injuries, applied blankets and oxygen, and splinted him on a backboard, John Klaysmat immediately took the ax he had brought along and started to hack a trail through the brush to ease the carry back to the ATVs.

First Responder Jerry Pohlman and Fire Chief Jeff Sanborn arrived at the staging area at about 4:50 PM, having been deer hunting themselves at the time of the call. They followed the others into the woods, and reached the patient in time to help carry him back to the ATVs. St. Louis County North Rescue Squad member Dirk Versteeg arrived at the staging area at approximately the same time, and was asked to assist with controlling traffic and marking the Landing Zone for a night landing.

The Landing Zone was at a small parking area where the forestry road crossed the Vermilion River. Including the road, it was just over 100 feet in diameter. Since the Landing Zone was in a hollow between two hills and surrounded by tall trees, a near vertical landing and departure was advised.

Luke’s One was safely on the ground at 5:36 PM, one hour and 21 minutes into the call. The rescuers had the patient loaded into the rescue cart, and were moving carefully toward the staging area. The team reached the helicopter at approximately 5:50 PM, and the patient was quickly loaded, and Luke’s One was safely clear of the Landing Zone and en-route to Duluth at 6:05 PM.

The patient had a broken neck. Due to the quick and careful actions of all responders involved the patient was saved.

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