Jackson, Wyo. – River Rangers from the Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest were involved in a rescue effort on the Snake River last Friday afternoon. That's when a private rafting party of Boy Scouts arrived at Sheep Gulch Boat Ramp on the Snake River with a 16-year-old male in acute cardiac arrest receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Forest Service River Rangers, nearby commercial river guides, and party members assisted with CPR while river rangers retrieved and deployed an on-site automated external defibrillator (AED). The use of the AED led to the victim regaining pulse and breathing at the boat ramp prior to a very prompt arrival and transport of the victim by Alpine Ambulance to Star Valley Medical Center (SVMC) where the patient was treated and later transported to Children’s’ Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The problem began when the rafting party arrived at an area often used to jump off cliffs into the Snake River. The teen complained of his heart racing just before going into a seizure. Group members immediately began CPR when needed, and quickly floated to the closest boat ramp where rangers received them while requesting an ambulance and retrieving the AED kept on-site.
The victim will be receiving surgery today to fix a genetic heart problem that had not been previously found.
The Snake River Management Program is believed to be the first river section to obtain, store and deploy AEDs at busy river access areas in the country. Two AEDs costing over $3,000 each were provided for use in 2001 by the Snake River Fund, a nonprofit donation collecting organization formed to help pay for basic services on the National Forest in lieu of the having to pay mandatory fees. Two additional AEDs were provided this year by the Snake River Fund working with an anonymous benefactor and friends. As a result, AEDs and backboards were stored at the closest evacuation points below two of the larger rapids during high-water season in hopes of helping the public at a critical time.
“We expect a great deal from our people, and our 2010 crew has gone above and beyond what we would call heroic,” said Jackson District Ranger, Dale Deiter.
SOURCE: Little Chicago Review