Santa Barbara Man Rescued Near Divide Peak

Santa Barbara - August 17th, 2010

A Santa Barbara man prompted a rescue operation Monday evening when his rigorous training run left him dehydrated in the mountains above Carpinteria.

The 40-year old man, who is training for the Pier to Peak competition, was returning from Divide Peak on August 16, 2010 when he became dehydrated after running out of water.  He also developed stomach cramps and dizziness after eating wild berries in an attempt to re-hydrate and boost his energy to help him make it back.

Unable to continue on due to darkness and his cramping, the subject called 9-1-1 for help shortly after 8pm.  Unsure of the subject's exact location, due to conflicting information from the subject and his cell phone generated GPS coordinates, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office activated the Santa Barbara Volunteer Search and Rescue Team to begin a search for the injured subject.  Santa Barbara County Fire personnel were also dispatched to provide paramedic medical services once the subject was located by SBCSAR.

Helicopters from the Sheriff and County Fire responded to help in the search with their specialized night vision and infra-red locating equipment.  With directions from SBCSAR, the subject was instructed to hold up his lighted cell phone display towards the helicopters and to flick his cigarette lighter so the pilot’s night vision would pick up the light.  At approximately 9:30 pm Copter 309 spotted the glow of the subject's phone and was able to set down along the ridge top to allow paramedics to reach the subject.  The subject was evaluated and then helped to Copter 309 where he was then transported back to Santa Ynez Airport and turned over to AMR paramedics for transport to the Hospital. 

Personnel from SBCSAR suggest that those venturing into the wilderness make sure they have the right equipment and are sufficiently conditioned to meet the demands of their activities.  With temperatures reaching over 90 degrees in the backcountry, plenty of water should be taken on any hikes or runs.  Also, while the subject had a lighter, it is not recommended that a signal fire be built due to the dry brush and often windy conditions.  If an emergency does exist and contact through a cell phone via 9-1-1 can be made, stay put in that location to maintain the connection.  Also, know where you are at all times so a detail description of your location can be given to help rescuers find you.  Do not depend on the internal phone GPS signals as often they can be off up to 25 miles, as was the case with this incident, depending on what cell towers they hit. 

For more information on this incident or about Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue an all volunteer arm of the Sheriff’s Office contact Nelson Trichler at 805-963-5822.

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please contact Drew Sugars, Public Information Officer.

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