Number of wilderness, water rescues in Austin increases

Number of wilderness and water rescues in Austin increases

From a boat capsizing over the weekend, to a woman airlifted from a Greenbelt, first responders have been very busy.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin's highly-skilled special operations teams are finding themselves very busy in this extreme heat, called to all sorts of extreme rescues.

"This time of year generates a higher number of rescues," said Austin-Travis County EMS District Commander Bryan Fitzpatrick.

"Everybody wants to get out and go swimming, go hike and enjoy the outdoors. So our calls of lost persons or hurt people and people suffering from injuries in the green belts go up quite a bit," said Austin Fire Lt. Matthew Martin.

Monday around noon, first responders responded to a call on a woman who had fallen and suffered a traumatic injury in the greenbelt off River Place Blvd. near Steiner Ranch. 

"They were able to go ahead and make access via going through the woods, basically out of people's backyards," said Fitzpatrick. 

Once they found her, thanks in part to GPS data from her cell phone, it was a matter of how to get her out. 

"We realized it was pretty, pretty bumpy, it was hilly. It was going to be difficult to get them out. So the call was made to use staff light to extricate the patient," said Martin. 

STAR Flight hoisted her out and took her to Dell Seton Medical Center with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. 

"STAR Flight is a fantastic resource for us," said Martin. "It's hard to define how good they are and how valuable they are for us."

Monday's wilderness rescue followed a water rescue in Southeast Austin over the weekend. 

"The difference between being in the boat in a safe place and in the water in a less than safe place is a matter of seconds," said Fitzpatrick. 

Two boaters had to be rescued from the Colorado River near FM 973 by these same Austin Fire and medic teams on Saturday, after their canoe flipped over. 

"When you're in a situation where you're moving downriver, and you're not really sure exactly where you are, locating you becomes part of the problem," said Fitzpatrick. 

Once they were located, AFD deployed a swift water boat. 

"And they were able to make access with the boat to help those patients further downstream after they got washed away," said Martin. 

Rescuers pulled both from the water and got them safely to shore. Thankfully, neither boater was hurt. 

"Usually people are very thankful that you can see the weight off their shoulders as soon as we show up that somebody is there to help and that we found them and that everything's going to be okay from here on out," said Martin.

These highly-trained rescuers say that gratitude goes both ways. 

"In a situation like this, it is very satisfying for all of us and very gratifying to be able to go ahead and work in a coordinated effort to help someone in need," said Fitzpatrick. 

"To be able to know that we are here to help people, and we're prepared to do it. And then when we actually get to help people, that's the most rewarding part of this job," said Martin.

Fire and EMS officials want to remind the public that these rescues put them at risk as well. And while they'll always answer the call, they ask that you be prepared when you're heading out to enjoy nature. 

Make sure your phone is charged, know where you are, and, if you're hitting the water, always wear your life jacket.