River Rescue – Arroyo Seco

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Helicopter Hoist Rescue at Arroyo Seco River 03/25/2018

At approximately 1705 on Sunday March 25, 2018 Greenfield Fire Protection District, City of Soledad Fire Department and CAL FIRE responded to a report of a truck in the middle of the Arroyo Seco River with two persons trapped in the bed of the truck. This was reported to be in the area of Arroyo Seco Rd and Cedar Ave. The water was approximately 4 feet deep and flowing at a fast pace. First arriving fire resources determined that a helicopter was needed for the rescue.

CAL FIRE Copter 406, from Bear Valley Helitack Base, arrived at scene, assessed the situation from the air, accepted the rescue and rigged the helicopter for a hoist rescue. This technical exercise requires specialized rescue skills that the staff of Copter 406 train for regularly. A firefighter was lowered by mechanical hoist from the helicopter and rigged the victims to be lifted from the pickup. The successful rescue took approximately 15 minutes from arrival of the helicopter. Victims were flown to the shore assessed for injuries and released.

Soledad FD partners in a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE for fire services. Soledad FD staffs one engine in the city 24/7 with two firefighters.

Who:​​Soledad FD/CAL FIRE/ Greenfield Fire
What:​​Helicopter Hoist Rescue
When:​​March 25th 2018 at approximately 1705
Where:​​Arroyo Seco River, Soledad (Monterey County)