Man Falls into Chesterfield Gorge – Helicopter Called in to Transport

At 12:42 hours today, Goshen firefighters were called mutual aid to the Chesterfield Gorge to assist in the rescue of a man who fell approximately 80′ from the top of the gorge onto the shoreline of the Westfield River below.

The WMass Tech Rescue Team established a high angle rope rescue to lower first responders and medical help down to the patient. Once he was packaged, the same ropes were used to haul the patient up from the base of the cliff to Williamsburg Fire’s gator unit which transported him to Highland Ambulance.

Injuries to the patient were serious enough that a Life Star helicopter was dispatched from Barnes Air National Guard airport in Westfield soon after initial units arrived on scene.

Goshen firefighters set up a landing zone in Judd’s field on the corner of South and Bryant streets in Chesterfield.

The helicopter touched down at 1313 hours. Medics from Life Star assessed the patient once Highland Ambulance arrived at the landing zone with him. He was then loaded into the helicopter and transported to Baystate Medical Center – the areas Level 1 Trauma Center in Springfield MA.

After the incident, an EMT with Highland Ambulance mentioned how well all the various departments worked together from start to finish.

The purpose of our monthly tri-town drills is to practice for situations just like this. During those drills, these same three departments work together to familiarize each other with our equipment and personnel. Working with the WMass Tech Rescue team, a group of firefighters from around the region with specialized rescue skills, was just a bonus.

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