On Saturday April 2, 2022 at 5:30 PM Wading River Fire Department was activated for a “Backcountry Rescue” in Wildwood State Park. The patient was reported to be an adult male with a possible broken leg after falling off a rock about 2-3 miles into the trail. Initial response to the incident included the 1st responder (6-3-80) and 2nd Assistant Chief Mark Donnelly (6-3-32). Chief M. Donnelly immediately requested Mutual Aid from Rocky Point Fire Department for their UTV due to the patients unknow location and the possibility of an extended extrication time.
Upon arrival at Wildwood State Park, Chief Donnelly met up with NYS Parks police who were unaware of the exact location of the patient. 6-3-32, 6-3-80 and the NYS Parks Police entered the woods to locate the patient and shortly after starting down the trail they were flagged down by a friend of the victim. The friend was brought with 6-3-32 to guide the units to the patient.
Approximately 3 miles into the woods the units were forced to park their vehicles and continue to the patient on foot. After walking about ¼ of a mile down a trail along the top of the bluff, the friend indicated that the patient was down on the slope of the bluff approximately 200 feet at the base of a boulder. Members descended the bluff and made contact with the patient. 6-3-32 established Wading River Command and communicated thru WRFD Base 6-3-0.
Due to the location of the patient and the complexity of moving the patient off the bluff, 6-3-32 had Ambulance 6-3-17 staged in the main parking lot of Wildwood State Park and a call went out for additional personnel and life safety ropes to the scene. Fire Police unit 6-3-5 picked up the medical personnel from 6-3-17 and transported them into the woods followed by brush truck 6-3-9, which picked up the remaining crew from 6-3-17 and also made their way thru the woods to the scene. Rocky Point FD Chief (5-A7-33) responded to the Command post and RPFD UTV (5-A7-13) responded into the woods with additional personnel from RPFD. Riverhead Town Police also responded to the patient’s location and Suffolk County FRES Coordinators FC-4 and FC-28
While the patient was being treated and packaged in RPFD’s stokes basket. Personnel scouted out the best route for patient removal and it was decided that it would be best for the patient to be brought back up the bluff rather then down to the beach due to the terrain involved. The members of WRFD, RPFD and RTPD ascended the bluff with the patient and transferred him to the waiting UTV for transport out of the woods to unit 6-3-17 and then to the hospital.
Chief M. Donnelly would like to thank all the WRFD personnel, RPFD, RPD, NYS Parks PD and SC FRES Coordinators for their response.