Man rescued after cliff fall

PARIS - A Paris man was rescued from a precarious situation Tuesday, when he fell from a ridge onto a rocky hillside.

Paris Police Lieutenant Mike Dailey said his department was sent to Halls Pond after  the 911 operator at Oxford County Communications Center received a call that a man had fallen from a cliff in the woods and was injured. He was told to meet the man's wife at the Hall's Pond boat landing. Meanwhile, the Paris Fire Department and the Maine Warden Service were informed and Fire Chief Brad Frost began to organize what is known as a "carry-out" team.

Dispatch records indicate that it was the victim, Mark Brandhorst, 52, of Paris, who called 911, after he had realised that he might have injured his back in the fall. He stayed on the line with the dispatcher, which was enormously helpful to rescuers, said Dailey. Brandhorst's wife, Sarah Shepley, was also informed of his injury, but it was unclear if she had been with him or he called her. She met the police and firefighters at the Hall's Pond boat launch, initially selected as a rendezvous point because it was a familiar landmark. Fire Chief Brad Frost to established an incident command post there.

To area firefighters, "carry-outs" are not uncommon. Paris Firefighter Eric Poland said there are two or three a year for his department, but due to the manpower-intensive work, firefighters from several towns' departments are frequently involved. On Tuesday, Oxford and Norway crews were called to help.

A PACE ambulance paramedic team from Stephens Memorial Hospital (SMH) was staged, to provide the essential medical care, once the victim could be reached.

Once the victim's exact location was established, Frost planned two alternate means to effect the rescue. A team of firefighters, equipped with a chainsaw and other hand tools, started to trailblazing a mile-and-a-half path to him from the launch. Meanwhile, the Maine Warden Service was asked to bring a boat. Frost had the crew of about 16 divided into two teams to carry the victim out, if necessary.

Warden Norm Lewis arrived with the flat-bottom watercraft before the trail was complete and ferried the medical rescue team to a point within a half-mile of where Brandhorst lay. Poland said the PACE crew stabilized the victim and placed him on a backboard to prevent further injury. The firefighters, using ropes and sheer muscle power, worked their human burden to the boat. From there, he was transported across the pond to the waiting ambulance. Information on his condition was not immediately available Wednesday morning.

Man Rescued Photo: Chuck Blaquiere

RESCUERS WORK – Firefighters and PACE personnel help carry an injured hiker down a hillside by Hall's Pond, Tuesday.

Team rescue Photo: Chuck Blaquiere

AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS – A Maine Warden Service boat was used Tuesday to ferry an injured hiker across Hall Pond, in Paris, to a waiting ambulance.