Kent Krumpschmidt arrived an hour before emergency responders. He ran up the Multnomah Falls trail to where the visiting businessman had just suffered a heart attack.
Just a man, taking a hike. When the unexpected happened.
Krumpschmidt is one of 12 members of a rapid response trail rescue team called the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Green Hornet Wilderness Law Enforcement Services. They’re an assembly of some of the most fit Multnomah County Sheriff’s deputies, who navigate trail systems in the Columbia Gorge to help lost and injured hikers.
Krumpschmidt is a good example. The man who fell ill at Multnomah Falls needed specialty medical equipment. Krumpschmidt ended up making four dashes up and down the trail to supply first responders.
The Green Hornets have responded to 30-40 calls a year with a success rate of 90 percent.
Multnomah County Sheriff Commander Monte Reiser, who oversees the team, told the Board of Commissioners Thursday that they began discussing the idea in 2012 in hopes of improving response times and better assisting volunteer search and rescue efforts.
They assembled the following year, with an equipment and training budget of $20,000. The training includes trail running, GPS tracking and getting to know the extensive system of established and unimproved trails - some of which are steep and technical.
They cover 850 miles of trails visited by more than 2 million visitors a year.
“We want to do the greater good in the least amount of time,” Reiser told the board.
Sergeant Tim Wonacott said just last week the Hornets helped carry out a man who had gone on a hike with his son and fallen 40-feet off a washed-out trail.
Often when someone calls 911, they can pick up the GPS signal emitting from a smart phone, plug those into their GPS tracker and head out. That happened when someone hiked up to an unofficial trail to a lookout, got lost, and got hypothermia.
The Green Hornets brought along a set of dry warm clothes and guided the hiker out.
“I know how excited visitors get about coming out in the gorge,” said Commissioner Diane McKeel. “And sometimes they don’t realize what can happen out there. Thank you so much for everything you do.”
Commissioner Jules Bailey said as a hiker himself, he was glad to know the Hornets would be there if he got into a bind.