So far, the late Winter season has been very busy for the Mountain Rescue Team. With weather reaching the 70's during the day, more people are heading outside to enjoy the recreational areas that surround Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, February 22, a 32 year-old male hiker was hiking with a group on a trail in between Calico II and Sandstone Quarry at Red Rock Canyon. While on the hike, he decided to separate from the group to be "more adventerous". At the conclusion of the hike when the hiker failed to meet the rest of the group, Search and Rescue was dispatched at about 7:00pm to help locate the missing hiker.
The Air Unit, two Officers, and five Search and Rescue volunteers responded to the call. The hiker was located and a system was set up for retrieval purposes. A Rescuer was lowered about 50 feet to the hiker, who was uninjured. After connecting the hiker to the system, the team raised the hiker and Rescuer back to the top. The hiker was ultimately flown to Sandstone Quarry where LVMPD Resident Officers were waiting with the friends of the victim.
On Saturday, March 12th, reports of a climber who had fallen in Pine Creek Canyon came in. Two volunteers and two officer's responded via air to Dark Shadow, a climb located in the area. The climber sustained a back injury after falling just above pitch two. After locating the victim and providing medical care, the team extricated the victim and delivered him to an ambulance who transported him to the trauma center.
On Tuesday morning, March 15th, Mountain Rescue volunteers were called out at about 2:00am to assist with two climbers that had become stranded on the Brownstone Wall in Juniper Canyon. Upon arrival, Rescuers discovered that the weather was very bad with high winds. Around 3:00am, a small window opened where the helicopter was able to deliver equipment and 7 rescue personnel to the top of the climb. When winds picked up again, which grounded the helicopter, the team set up technical systems and lowered the stranded climbers nearly 1,000 feet. After reaching the bottom, both Rescuers and the uninjured climbers hiked out.
- LVMPD Search and Rescue
- The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Unit is an organization of paid and non-paid professionals dedicated to saving lives through rescue, emergency medicine, and safety education. It is our duty to provide the highest level of skill and best possible care to those who call upon us for help. Serving Red Rock, Mt. Charleston, Lake Mead, and Southern Nevada.
