By Staff Reports

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — What seemed to be a normal Fourth of July weekend, quickly turned into the busiest ever for the Fischer Rescue Squad (FRS).  At 3:56 p.m., its members were mobilized to Martha’s Falls in Little River Canyon for a possible broken ankle.

Upon arrival they were informed a second patient had sustained an injury. Within 15 minutes, they were informed of yet a third patient, followed by a fourth.  While trying to access the manpower to deal with so many injuries, unbelievably, a call came in for assistance with a fifth patient.

FRS immediately called the Fort Payne Fire Department for additional manpower. The Alabama State Trooper helicopter was also alerted for a long line for extraction.

FRS set up their rope system and a member of the FRS team, along with members of the DeKalb Ambulance Service (DAS), National Park Service (NPS) and Fort Payne Fire Department (FPFD) began to package patients based on priority. DAS, along with FRS did the triage at the bottom of the falls.

NPS cleared the bottom for the teams to work with the patients. NPS also provided water and Gatorade for all workers in the bottom of the canyon and up top preparing patients for transport. This was much appreciated due to the extreme heat.

FRS extracted three patients out of the canyon and to ambulances in the staging area. The last two injuries were extracted by the Alabama State Trooper helicopter team.

The Fischer Rescue Squad would like to thank the following agencies for their support during the holiday weekend: The National Park Service, Dekalb Ambulance Service, Adamsburg Fire Department, Fort Payne Fire Dept, Alabama State Patrol Helicopter Rescue Unit (to which Fischer Rescue Squad are members) and many thanks to the volunteer who helped them operate the rope system.