Drone, Ground Crews Help Locate Hiker Lost in Rugged Terrain

A hiker who failed to return from an outing in the McKenzie Bridge area on Dec. 26 was safely rescued after a coordinated search involving multiple local emergency agencies.

Central Lane 911 received a report at about 6:49 p.m. that evening that the individual was missing. Weather conditions at the time were cool, with scattered showers in the area.

The Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District responded alongside the Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team. Eugene Springfield Fire also assisted by providing an advanced life support ambulance.

Fire district crews arrived with a rescue unit, two Type 6 engines, a utility vehicle and a chief officer, as well as an unmanned aircraft system, or drone, recently acquired through the Oregon Emergency Management SPIRE grant program. After contacting the reporting party, responders were able to narrow the search area quickly.

The drone was deployed using an infrared camera, while crews on the ground used lights and sirens and stayed in phone contact with the lost hiker. Two firefighter-paramedics located the individual about 570 feet into a heavily wooded area that included wetlands with water depths of up to four feet.

Because of the difficult terrain and safety concerns, the hiker was placed in a rescue basket and carefully transported out of the area. Assistance from Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue helped expedite the removal across rugged ground to the waiting ambulance.

During the operation, fire district personnel were also called to respond to an unrelated medical emergency elsewhere in the district, requiring resources to be shifted while the rescue continued.

Fire officials credited regular training and extensive preparation for enabling crews to manage multiple complex incidents at the same time and bring the search and rescue to a safe conclusion.