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CUSICK — A youth who fell 300 feet off a cliff was rescued with the help of an Air Force medic lowered from a helicopter from Fairchild Air Force Base Saturday, June 21, according to a Facebook post from Pend Oreille Fire District 5.
The rescue that started about 3 p.m. took six hours. It took place in the Colville National Forest west of Riverview Bible Camp, in an area that could only be reached by foot. Rescue crews pushed through thick brush and steep terrain to reach three people, two minors and an adult, according to Fire District 5’s Facebook post.
“One of the minors had fallen from a rock precipice and had sustained severe injuries,” according to the Facebook post. “Rescue crews were able to reach and stabilize the patient and ready him for extraction. A United States Air Force chopper from Fairchild AFB met the crew at the site and lowered a medic to help package the patient for extraction.”
The youth was airlifted from the side of the mountain and safely delivered to a landing zone for ground transportation.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance our mutual aid partners including POFD2, POFD4, SPOFR, KTFD, the POC Sheriff, US Border Patrol, WDFW, the Riverview Bible Camp, POC SAR, Two Bear Air and the US Air Force. Also special thanks to the crew that cut a trail to the mountain rescue site. It sure made the return trip easier,” the Fire District 5 Facebook post read.
