EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A helicopter with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations helped to rescue a hiker in the Franklin Mountains this week.
On Thursday, Aug. 21, the CBP AMO El Paso Air Branch operations officer received a phone call from the El Paso Fire Department’s Combined Search and Rescue team for help in locating and rescuing an injured male hiker, CBP said in a news release.
Here is video from the mountain rescue, from CBP AMO.
Initial reports indicated that fire crews had responded to the area near McKelligon Canyon.
A hoist-capable AMO UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and crew were dispatched to make the rescue, CBP said.
The crew used night vision goggles to conduct the search. With the help of the ComSAR team, the helicopter crew was able to locate the injured hiker in a remote location.
The UH-60 helicopter crew then established a 180-foot hover and deployed a hoist rescue specialist. Once inserted, the rescue specialist was able to hoist the stranded hiker and five ComSAR personnel into the helicopter.
The UH-60 crew transported the hiker and rescue team to awaiting ComSAR personnel on the ground at the established incident command post.
The injured hiker was then transported to a local hospital for further treatment, CBP said.
“Our CBP AMO El Paso Air Branch crews regularly train with our El Paso ComSAR partners to conduct hoist rescues and medical evacuations,” El Paso Air Branch Director Efren Gonzalez said. “We train together regularly and together we provide an important lifesaving capability as AMO helicopter crews conduct their national security mission to patrol the deserts and mountains in our border region.”
Air and Marine Operations is an operational component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. AMO conducts its mission in the air and maritime environments throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, CBP said.
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