Sheriff’s helicopter plucks ailing hiker off Sonoma trail
Sonoma Firefighters and the Sheriff’s helicopter “Henry-1” were dispatched Sunday to Sonoma’s Bartholomew Park Winery to rescue a stranded hiker.
The hiker, downed by heat stroke in rugged terrain, was spotted by the H1 crew. The winery is at the end of Castle Road on Sonoma’s east side.
After concluding there was no clear way to drive or hike to her, the crew decided to land and set up the helicopter for a long line rescue.
The helicopter landed on a large lawn at the winery and attached a 100′ long line. The paramedic and tactical flight officer (TFO) attached themselves to the line, and were flown to the woman. Upon landing and disconnecting, the paramedic determined she had a significant heat injury and could not walk.
The TFO secured her into a rescue device and called for the pilot to return.
Once attached, the pilot flew the trio back to the winery. The woman was delivered to the Sonoma ambulance for further treatment and transport to the hospital.
