The Cook County ambulance was paged to the Devil Track Lake boat landing at about 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 15 to meet a U.S. Forest Service de Havilland Beaver landing with a young man who suffered an apparent broken ankle on Isle Royale. The medical transport went remarkably smoothly, especially considering the number of agencies involved.
The 19-year-old male was with a group camping on Hatchet Lake on the interior of Isle Royale when he suffered an injury. A family member hiked up a nearby ridge and called for assistance at about 3 p.m. That call was routed to the Isle Royale National Park headquarters in Houghton, Michigan. The initial call reported that the young man’s ankle was “broken as bad as it can break.”
Marshall Plumer, the National Park Service Eastern District Ranger, had to decide how to proceed with the rescue. If rescuers could get the man to a harbor on the island, the National Park patrol boat could transport him approximately 22 miles to Hat Point Marina in Grand Portage to meet the ambulance. However, Hatchet Lake is at least five miles from the nearest place a boat could dock.
In addition to the injured man’s safety, Plumer was concerned about the safety of responders. Five miles is a long way to carry a patient litter. “Even with a wheel, you need about six people—on a path designed for one person,” said Plumer.
Plumer contacted the U.S. Forest Service to see if one of its Beaver airplanes was available. He was in luck. According to U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Kris Reichenbach, Beaver No. 1 was on a reconnaissance flight on the east side of Superior National Forest and was able to respond.
Beaver No. 1 flew to Isle Royale, stopping at Windigo Harbor to pick up Park Service EMT Jim Krueger. With the EMT on board, the Beaver pilot landed on the one-mile-long Hatchet Lake.
The young man and his father were transported to Devil Track where they were met by Cook County Ambulance and the patient was taken for medical treatment. No details are available regarding the young man’s injuries, however, the relative speed of the remote medical rescue likely aided his recovery.
Plumer said the cooperation continued after the patient was safely delivered. Ranger Jessica Barr of Grand Portage National Monument traveled to Grand Marais to pick up EMT Krueger to take him to the Hat Point Marina where he was picked up by the Isle Royale Park Service patrol boat and taken back to the island.
“The whole thing was like it was choreographed,” said Plumer. “Things went off without a hitch. It’s good to have all these local connections.”
Reichenbach agreed, noting that the Forest Service floatplanes serve on the Superior National Forest and the region supporting several programs such as fire management, search and rescue, wildlife, fisheries, wilderness, law enforcement, and more.
“This is a story of efficient and effective inter-agency assistance to a person in need and part of a long history of cooperative response to provide public safety in emergency situations,” said Reichenbach.
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