As most readers on this website already know, when all the evidence points to the improbability of the continued survival of the subject of a search or rescue, we in the business of "emergency response" are faced with the complex decision of changing the status of a mission from a "rescue" to a "recovery." It's at this critical moment when the Incident Commander decides to change the focus of a mission from "saving a life" to "providing closure for family and friends of the presumed deceased," while limiting additional risk to rescue personnel in the process. Anyone who has made this decision, has done so only after careful consideration, usually over an extended period of time. If we perform this act professionally, with dignity and respect for the victim's body, and consideration for the safety of all involved, the emotional impact on family and friends is reduced. Sometimes, that's the best we can hope for. This article tells of a rescue mission that changed to a recovery in an instant; but with the added complexity of having family members already on scene.

At 22:55 hours on Wednesday, June 18, 2008, the Grapevine - Chavies VFD received a dispatch from Perry County, Kentucky E911 Center. The dispatch stated: "A 911 caller was reporting a man who had been 'ginsenging' on a mountainside north of Chavies was now trapped, and they needed a basket stretcher to get him out." Upon arrival at the scene as it was dispatched, assistant chief Ben Stidham, a FF/EMT, was told the patient was 200 to 300 feet over the embankment where a man with a flashlight was signaling them. Given this information, Stidham proceeded down the embankment until he reached the man with the flashlight. At this point, Stidham was informed that the victim was another 500 feet down the mountain with his brothers at his side. After assessing the terrain, it was determined there was no established trail down to the position of the victim; in reality, it was a cliff. So, Stidham carefully proceeded ahead of other rescuers until he made contact with the patient's brothers. It was at this point that Stidham was informed by the victim's brothers that he (the victim) was, in fact, deceased. The brothers reported the last communication with the victim had been over 12 hours earlier. At 9 PM, about dark, the family began to look for him. Upon locating the victim almost 2 hours later, one of the family called the 911 center and requested assistance. However, because of the separation between the on-scene family members and the 911 caller, the patient's condition was not accurately conveyed to the dispatcher.

Now past midnight, and finally on the scene, Stidham changed the status of this mission from a "rescue" to a "recovery." He directed his personnel to reposition to an old washed out coal road about 1000 feet below their present location. Once the road was located, a command post was established at the point where the road became impassable by conventional 4X4 vehicles. The Grapevine - Chavies VFD transported their Yamaha Rhino 4X4 "Side-bySide" off-road vehicle and "All Terrain Res-Q Trailer" to the combined CP and staging area, just inside Breathitt County, Kentucky. Three hours later, with assistance from the Pine Branch Coal Company, and members of the victim's family, the deceased was brought out and delivered to the Breathitt County Coroner where he was officially pronounced dead.

It was later determined that this recovery required a combined round trip of 16 miles traveled over a washed out coal road and a steep mountainside, almost impassable by off-road vehicles. What could have taken +16 hours was achieved in just under 3 hours with the right equipment. In the words of an on-scene paramedic, "It (the Yamaha Rhino and All Terrain Res-Q Trailer) was the only way to get it done!"