By: Lt. Bryan Husband, Search and Rescue Coordinator
Rescued: Jennifer Gray, 45 year old female, Portland, Or.
On 07/04/19, at about 1:08pm, 9-1-1 Dispatch received a report from Brian Gray, that his wife, Jennifer Gray, had just sustained a non-life threatening injury while hiking on the South Sister trail. The Gray’s were at approximately 8,100′ elevation, where the injury occurred. Mrs. Gray was unable to hike any further. Other hikers in the area stopped to assist the couple until rescuers arrived.
Two Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and 14 DCSO Search and Rescue Volunteers responded to assist. Two DCSO SAR Volunteers responded to AirLink, who was able to assist with getting SAR Volunteers into the area of the injured subject faster. Four DCSO SAR Volunteers responded to the Mt. Bachelor parking lot in case they needed to be shuttled up the mountain as well. Six DCSO SAR Volunteers responded to the Devil’s Lake trail head and began hiking up the South Sister trail to the injured subject.
AirLink was able to fly DCSO SAR Volunteers to a location in close proximity to Mrs. Gray and her group. DCSO SAR Volunteers made contact with Mrs. Gray and her group at approximately 3:38pm, further stabilizing her. DCSO SAR Volunteers, with the assistance of the group on scene, carried Mrs. Gray to the awaiting AirLink helicopter. AirLink then transported Mrs. Gray to St. Charles Hospital in Bend for further medical treatment. DCSO SAR Volunteers hiked with the remaining group back down to the Devil’s Lake trail head.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank AirLink for their assistance with this rescue. Without their assistance, the response time to Mrs. Gray’s location would have been considerably longer, potentially leading to further medical problems. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind those traveling in the back country at this time of year, to prepare for all different types of trail conditions (dirt, snow, ice) and all different types of weather conditions (sun, rain, sleet, snow). Always travel with the “10 Essentials”: Navigation, Sun Protection, Extra Clothing, Extra Food, Extra Water, Light Source, First Aid Supplies, Multi-tool, Emergency Shelter and a way to start a warming fire.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with four K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today lead by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves the nearly 190,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 230 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 187 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.
