Technical rescue saves lives of two men stranded in cave

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Daryl Knee
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  F. E. Warren's Fire Department, in cooperation with local civilian fire agencies, rescued two men trapped at the bottom of a 65-foot-deep cave near County Road 109 Saturday.

The cave's unique design and depth required a specialized team trained in the technical aspect of high-angle rescue procedures: Staff Sgt. Nate McLean, Staff Sgt. Joshua Livingston, David Bushong and Heath Bichel, all from the 90th Civil Engineer Squadron.

"These types of rescues don't happen often," Sergeant Livingston said. "I'm just glad we have a great group of [fire fighters] here who can get the job done."

The request for help originally came to Laramie County Fire District 8, said Johnnie Merrell, 90th CES fire inspector and LCFD 8 fire chief. As the district is a volunteer-only force, they did not have the proper training for this particular high-risk rescue.

Based on a mutual-aid agreement -- a document in which Wyoming's state and federal fire departments agree to help each other in times of need -- Mr. Merrell called the closest department, which happened to be F. E. Warren Air Force Base.

"We like to use the phrase fire emergency services, not just fire department," Sergeant McLean said. "We're a jack of all trades - we prepare for it all. We spend our whole careers training for sole instances like this rescue."

Air Force Global Strike Command's mission of strategic deterrence requires maintenance or manning to missile silos and missile alert facilities -- both of which have sections descending into the earth. The fire fighters of this command train continually to manage the difficulties of high-angle rescues should a mishap occur in an area with little maneuverability.

The cave rescue called for similar techniques.

"It came as second nature," Mr. Bichel said about how the real-world rescue mirrored the intense training the fire fighters undergo. "We were just doing our job."

One of the two trapped men had injured himself when he fell into the cave, Mr. Merrell said. The Warren fire fighters used ropes, pulleys and weight-balance mechanics to hoist the injured person out of the hole -- a process that took nearly four of the six-hour rescue effort.

"Fire department members are always preparing, always training," Mr. Merrell said. "You never know what you'll have to respond to."

The Warren Fire Department dispatches to about 55 requests for mutual aid per year, Mr. Merrell added. Already this year, the department has cooperated with local fire agencies 25 times.