Para-Plane Pilot Rescued from Tree by Erik Muhlenhaupt April 9, 2010
On Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 16:38 hrs, Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched to assist Montgomery County Station 47 (King of Prussia) for a parachutist stuck in a tree in Valley Forge National Park. Chief 68 and Engine 68-2 quickly made the response and arrived on scene to find a "paraplane" stuck about 75 feet up in a tree. The pilot appeared to be unharmed by the crash. Tower 47 was next to arrive on scene, followed closely by Rescue 47. Fire police units from Valley Forge and King of Prussia arrived to help close down Rt. 23 and divert the heavy rush hour traffic.
Due to the location of the downed aircraft within the park, it was impossible to reach the stranded pilot from the aerial platform on Tower 47. Instead, it was determined that a tree-climbing expert was needed to scale the tree to reach the pilot. Calls were made to notify local tree experts within the fire service and a helicopter from the US Coast Guard in Atlantic City was also alerted to assist with the rescue as backup. While the calls were being made, a tree service crew happened to be driving by and was asked to assist.
Crews from Valley Forge and King of Prussia worked with the tree climber in order to set up a belay system to safely lower the pilot. A harness was brought to the pilot in order to secure him. Assistant Chief 47 oversaw operations, and after everything was set, he led the lowering process. Once on the ground, the pilot was evaluated by Medic 317 (Lafayette EMS, King of Prussia). The paraplane was also recovered during the operation. The Coast Guard helicopter was released and after a quick debriefing and clean up, the remaining crews cleared the scene about 3 hours after the initial dispatch.
A special thanks to MJN Tree Service for their assistance with the rescue.
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"Protecting Your National Heritage" P.O. Box 62 630 Valley Park Road Valley Forge, PA 19481
