While hiking Picacho Peak on Saturday, November 9th, an 18 year-old woman slipped on a loose rock, rolling her ankle and possibly breaking it. Unable to continue her hike, Pinal County Search & Rescue was called, and Pinal Air One, our UH-1 “Huey” helicopter, responded to help.

Due to the area of the mountain where the victim was located, a SAR Deputy trained as a rescue specialist was lowered down from the helicopter to treat the injured woman. She was placed into a special carrier, called an Ambulatory Victim Extrication Device, or AVED. Both victim and deputy were lifted safely off the mountain using the helicopter's hoist, and flown to the trailhead where Avra Valley Fire paramedics were waiting.

This was PCSO's first live hoist rescue with our new grant funded equipment.

The equipment was recently purchased with funding from the Operation Stonegarden Grant (OPSG), made available through the U.S. Border Patrol, AZ Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. The OPSG Program provides funding to support joint efforts to secure the United States’ borders.

PCSO is grateful for this new equipment that will help us keep our communities safe.

We are incredibly proud of this rescue group. They have worked hard to be prepared for a call like this. A huge thank you to Priority One Air Rescue for our training, and Bert W Martin Foundation that paid for all of our training.

Once back on the ground, the hiker refused further treatment and was taken by her hiking party to Northwest Hospital in Tucson.