Honolulu firefighters rescue hikers from Pali Notches and Waimano trails

The Honolulu Fire Department rescued three hikers today, including one who had lost consciousness on a trail.

HFD received a 911 call about 3:54 p.m. Sunday after two hikers encountered difficulty on the Pali Notches Trail.

Four HFD units, with 12 personnel, responded with the first unit arriving at the scene about 4:07 p.m.

Two men, ages 26 and 27, reported hiking on the trail since 1 p.m. “when one of them lost his footing and slid a short distance off the trail,” HFD said.

The hiker was uninjured but was unable to make his way back to the trail. HFD used the GPS from the hiker’s cell phone to locate the men, who were near the first notch of the trail.

“The hikers’ location, heavy canopy and intermittent cloud cover presented some challenges during the rescue operation,”HFD said.

Rescue personnel were transported via Air 1 to the hikers’ location, where they were safely extracted. They were transported to a landing zone that had been established at Nuuanu Pali Lookout about 5:40 p.m.

No injuries were reported.

Earlier in the day, HFD rescued to a hiker, who became unconscious due to a medical emergency, from Waimano Trail.

Five HFD units with 16 staff members arrived at the scene around 11:10 a.m. in response to a 10:55 a.m. 911 call of an injured hiker.

According to HFD, a man and two women had been hiking Waimano Trail for about three hours when the man became unresponsive. He regained consciousness, but could not exit the trail on his own or with assistance from his hiking companions.

HFD’s Air Force 1 transported rescue workers to an area near the hiker about 11:30 a.m.

Rescue workers assessed the man and transported him to a nearby landing zone at 11:48 a.m.

Emergency Medical Services personnel were sent to the scene; however, the man refused treatment.

Firefighters helped the man’s hiking companions exit the trail on foot.

The HFD advises hikers to plan ahead. They recommend bringing a fully charged cell phone and an external backup battery on the hike. Before setting out, HFD recommends, hikers should get information about their planned hiking route, including where to start and the degree of difficulty.

Hikers should be practical and realistic about their fitness capabilities, and should monitor everyone’s condition while hiking, HFD said.

“Dehydration, sunstroke, hypothermia, and fatigue can hit even experienced hikers,” HFD officials said.