A 7-year-old girl suffered a life-threatening medical emergency while hiking with her father on Mission Peak, setting off a coordinated, multi-agency scramble to get her off the mountain and into advanced care. The child survived, and the Fremont Fire Department is now crediting Engineer/Paramedic Ryan Eisfeld with building the plan that got her rapid access to advanced medical treatment and hospital transport.
According to the Fremont Fire Department, a 911 call set the response in motion, pulling together public safety professionals who worked together to save the young hiker’s life. Eisfeld has since received a lifesaving award for his role in the incident, the department said. The department did not specify the exact date of the rescue in its announcement.
A Mountain That Regularly Tests Rescue Crews
Mission Peak’s summit sits 2,517 feet above Fremont, and its main trails run more than six miles round-trip with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain, according to Wikipedia. The climb offers little shade, and the combination of heat exposure and steep, sustained grades frequently leads to dehydration and other medical emergencies among hikers making the popular trek. That terrain is a big part of why summit rescues on Mission Peak tend to require more than a single agency showing up with a stretcher…