HFD uses Air 1 to rescue 3 hikers in separate incidents
Honolulu firefighters and the department’s Air 1 helicopter were kept busy Thursday with three separate hiker rescues on Oahu.
At 5:31 p.m., the Honolulu Fire Department received a 911 call for an injured hiker who fell on the Koko Crater Stairs trail in East Oahu. The hiker sustained an injury that prevented him from descending the trail on his own, according to HFD.
The first unit arrived 10 minutes later and firefighters went up the stairs, found the hiker at 6:04 p.m., and conducted a medical assessment. The hiker fell and sustained an injury that prevented him from descending the trail on his own, according to HFD.
Rescuers used Air 1 to airlift him to a landing zone, where care was transferred to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services at 6:18 p.m.
At 6:55 p.m., HFD responded to another hiker-in-distress call not far from Koko Crater, at the Makapuu Tidepools. They responded with 6 units and 16 personnel with the first unit arriving at 7 p.m. and ascending the trail with HFD’s Rapid Response Vehicle.
The hiker, a female in her teens, was halfway between the Makapuu Tidepools and the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail when she suffered a panic attack and was unable to return to the trail on her own, HFD officials said.
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Air 1 delivered rescuers to her location at 7:26 p.m., conducted a medical assessment and confirmed she was uninjured, HFD said. She was safely airlifted to the trail.
Earlier in the day, HFD also airlifted a hiker in distress from the Waimano Trail in Pearl City. HFD received that 911 call at 10:52 a.m. and responded with five units and 12 personnel.
The 35-year-old male hiker reportedly was stuck in a precarious location and was unable to get down from the trail. Firefighters located him at 11:25 a.m. and airlifted him to a nearby landing zone. He was uninjured and declined medical care.
HFD offers the following hiking safety tips:
>> Stay hydrated and prepare for the unexpected.
>> Know your physical abilities and limitations; select trails that can be enjoyed safely.
>> Plan to allow enough time to exit the trail before it gets dark.
