Molalla Fire crews raced to the Molalla River swimming spot known as the Log Jam early Sunday after a report of an injured swimmer, kicking off a rescue that would stretch across four agencies and end with a helicopter flight to Portland. The patient, pulled from the water with a possible head injury and torso trauma, was hoisted up a steep canyon wall using rope rigging before being handed off to a waiting air ambulance crew.
According to Clackamas Fire, Molalla Fire crews first rescued the swimmer from the water and began treatment on scene. Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies assisted during the rescue, and citizens at the popular swimming hole also pitched in to help, the department said. Clackamas Fire then took over, using a vertical rope rescue to move the patient up to a nearby landing area suitable for helicopter access.
From there, the Life Flight Network flew the patient by helicopter directly to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, where the patient was being treated for multiple injuries, including a potential head injury and torso trauma. Legacy Emanuel operates one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in Oregon and has run dedicated helipads for regional air ambulance transports since the hospital first established the Life Flight Network in 1978, according to Legacy Health. That network, believed to be the first hospital-based emergency air medical transport system on the West Coast, now runs helicopter bases across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
A Canyon With No Cell Signal
Part of what made the rescue complicated was where it happened. The Molalla River Recreation Area, home to the Log Jam swimming site, has no cellular phone service anywhere along the corridor, forcing recreationists and emergency crews alike to lean on satellite links or radio relays whenever something goes wrong, per the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. That gap in coverage is why the Oregon Department of Forestry stepped in during Sunday’s rescue, relaying information to Clackamas County 911 dispatchers when direct communication was limited…