Friday, while a group of four was hiking through Kern County on the Pacific Crest Trail, one hiker was bit by a rattlesnake. The hikers were able to relay the emergency and their location to the Kern County Emergency Communications Center who then dispatched a multi-agency response to locate and render aid to the hiker. The remote area made accessing the patient difficult but with offroad equipment the patient was found. Once located, patient treatment began while a Mercy Air helicopter landed approximately one-half mile away in a clearing. The patient was transported by vehicle to the helicopter and then flown to a hospital for treatment.

Today's rescue was an excellent example of a positive patient outcome due to a prompt coordinated response and the use of specialty equipment such as Scout 8, pictured.