A hiker who fell in Firth Canyon on San Bruno Mountain sustained moderate injuries Saturday evening, prompting a helicopter hoist rescue after ground crews determined the steep, narrow trail left no safe way to carry the patient out on foot. North County Fire Authority personnel hiked into the canyon to reach the injured hiker before requesting an aerial extraction from California Highway Patrol Helicopter H-30.
The rescue was detailed in a Facebook reel posted by CHP Golden Gate Division Air Operations, which described ground personnel determining that a hoist was the only viable solution once they reached the patient in the canyon. A Helicopter Rescue Technician from Daly City Firefighters Local 2400 was inserted at the scene and packaged the patient into a hot seat device before both were hoisted up to H-30 hovering overhead. The aircraft is an Advanced Life Support-equipped Airbus H125 based at Napa County Airport that operates under CHP’s Golden Gate Division to provide aerial search, rescue, and hoist capabilities across nine Bay Area counties, according to Lian Media.
Once clear of the canyon, the patient was lowered to a waiting American Medical Response San Mateo County ambulance for transport. AMR serves as the primary contracted ground ambulance provider for San Mateo County Emergency Medical Services, maintaining Advanced Life Support units that coordinate with air rescue teams at designated staging areas before patients reach regional trauma centers, per background compiled by the City of Brisbane.
Why the Canyon Trail Demanded an Air Rescue
Firth Canyon sits within the San Bruno Mountain State and County Park trail system in Brisbane, where narrow, steep dirt single-track paths and slippery descents severely limit vehicle access, according to Redwood Hikes. That terrain is exactly why ground crews so often conclude that carrying an injured hiker out on foot simply is not realistic, leaving a helicopter hoist as the fastest and safest option. The canyon also lies within the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan area, an ecologically sensitive zone that protects rare native grassland flora and critical habitat for endangered species like the Mission Blue Butterfly, per San Mateo County Parks records…