Released by: Deputy Shane Zook – Assistant Search and Rescue Coordinator
Date/time: 02-05-22 at 2:23 PM
Location: Kwohl Butte, about two miles south of Mt. Bachelor
Rescued Subject: 46 year old male, Bend, Or
On 02-05-22 at about 2:23 PM, Deschutes County 911 received a call from a monitoring service who informed 911 that a “SPOT” device had been activated. The monitoring service made phone contact with their customer, who informed them that a male was injured and needed assistance. The call taker at 911 was given coordinates for the injured subject. The subject was located near Kwohl Butte, which is about 2 miles south of Mt. Bachelor.
A deputy made contact with a member of the injured person’s party and learned that the male had struck a tree while riding a snow bike and needed assistance from Search and Rescue.
At 2:38 PM, a deputy requested that Search and Rescue volunteers respond to assist with the rescue. Six SAR members with the snowmobile team and medical team responded to the scene. Because of the extent of injuries, Airlink was also placed on standby.
SAR volunteers reached the patient by 4:49 PM. The patient was evaluated and prepared for transport. Airlink was requested and responded to a landing zone, which was near the Kwohl Butte Shelter. At about 7:00 PM, the patient was transferred into the Airlink helicopter, who transported the patient to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with five K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 191 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.