On Labor Day, Mines RA Helped Rescue Injured Woman

On Labor Day, one Mines student stepped in to help the Golden community in a harrowing rescue. Officers Dennis King and Thomas Hoak of the Mines Police Department were dispatched to aid an injured woman near the Clear Creek footbridge by Highway 6. The injured woman was in pain and not able to place any weight onto her hip.

“Due to the location we could not bring in an ambulance, rescue truck, or patrol car. Officer Hoak stayed with the victim, while I had to climb up a steep hill to get to the parking area near mile marker 27 on Highway 6,” King explained. “Once AMR (American Medical Response) was on scene, they said there was no way to get a gurney to the victim. They were, however, able to climb down and administer pain medication.”

From there, the Golden Police Department dispatch was contacted and the Golden Fire Department (GFD) responded by sending a rescue truck.

One of the firefighters on the team was Kyle Diethorn, a junior in mechanical engineering and a Residents’ Assistant on Bradford 3rd. He graduated from the Fire Academy this summer, and has been involved with the fire department and Mines Rescue team since his freshman year.

Officer King stated, “We described the situation and Kyle and the GFD volunteers came up with a plan. Kyle actually placed a foldable stretcher on his back. He also had a unique tool that is an ATV tire that attaches to the stretcher. Kyle actually climbed down the steep embankment with the stretcher on his back.”

Diethorn emphasized the need to work quickly, but effectively.

“The victim was clearly in pain, so we were working quickly to remove her while minimizing movement,” Diethorn explained. “Once moved to our Stokes basket, we were able to carry the woman out of the canyon and to the roadside where she was moved into an ambulance and transported to a hospital.”

With all emergency situations everyone has a part, whether that is the fire department, AMR, or the police. Everyone worked together and as a team to give the woman the care she needed.

“The Golden Fire Department is unique in that in the respect that it serves a very diverse demographic,” Diethorn stated. “Beyond fighting fire, the department is trained in auto extrication, tech rescue, swift water, and HazMat. Often our canyon rescues consist of cars that drive off the road into the creek, so it is not uncommon to conduct canyon rescues.”

Officer King expressed, “Kyle is an outstanding CSM student. He is a Resident Assistant and spends many hours volunteering at the Golden Fire Department. On September 5th, I was very glad that Kyle and the rescue team from GFD did a great job.”

Diethorn emphasized the importance of the entire rescue team working together, rather than his own individual efforts.

“I am extremely lucky to work alongside a very professional and knowledgeable group of men and women who serve the Golden community,” Diethorn said. “Everyone has their own specific job, and those jobs have to come together to be an effective team.”