LJ Beckman and the drone team captured this shot of the Rio Grande Gorge visitors center during the mission.
On May 5, Taos Search and Rescue assisted a mission in the Rio Grande Gorge.
During a private trip down the river a day earlier, John Nettles from TSAR’s Swiftwater Rescue Unit happened to come across an injured man on a beach who was hungry and cold. Nettles and his party didn’t have an extra personal flotation device or the needed gear such as a wetsuit to carry the man down the river safely, but gave him some food and told him they’d call for help as soon as possible.
After law enforcement was notified, assistance was requested from emergency responders and search and rescue teams across the state, including Taos Search and Rescue (TSAR).
Four TSAR units responded to the scene – swiftwater, technical (high angle), drone and base.
A helicopter from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s office and medics from the Bernalillo County Fire Department would work to retrieve the man by lifting him to a waiting ambulance. But contingency plans were also set in motion.
TSAR’s Drone Unit met at the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center at 5:30 a.m. While the various teams waited for a helicopter to arrive, a drone was deployed from the rim of the gorge with the goal of gathering precise coordinates of the subject.
“The subjects were located within two minutes of deployment,” said Drone Unit leader LJ Beckman. “We were fortunate to already know the general location to search and the subjects and Sheriffs’ had a campfire that made the locating them very quick.”
Meanwhile Nettles and Swiftwater Unit leader Kelly Grossetete were preparing to put oars in the river and members of the TSAR high angle team were readying gear in case there should be a need to hoist the subject up from the river to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
The man was successfully lifted to safety via a short haul line attached to the helicopter and, as with all missions, the TSAR team was left with lessons learned that will be integrated into future training and missions.
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