Complex Rescue in Deep Cave Takes More Than 24 Hours

Complex Rescue in Deep Cave Takes More Than 24 Hours
By Tom Vines
firefighternation.com

A May 26 cave rescue in Georgia provided insights into the challenges of a difficult and extensive rescue, along with the enormous amount of resources needed to successfully save a life.

The incident began with a 9-1-1 cell phone call to Walker County (Ga.) Emergency Services. The caller reported that while in Ellison’s Cave—a deep pit cave on Pigeon Mountain—a companion had fallen and was injured. The operator told him to meet responders at the base of Pigeon Mountain.

Walker County Emergency Services sent out a page to local rescuers at 1801 HRS. Approximately 30 minutes later, the first units arrived at a staging area at the base of Pigeon Mountain, where they interviewed the reporting party.

Ellison’s Cave
The cave entrance is a mile farther up the mountain and is accessible only by a steep foot trail that takes about 40 minutes or by a slightly longer, rugged jeep trail that usually takes about 20 minutes by ATV or UTV.

Ellison’s Cave is known for its vertical free drops, including the two deepest free pits in the contiguous United States—the “Fantastic Pit,” which has a 586' drop and the “Incredible Pit,” which has a 440' drop. The cave is approximately 12 miles long, and its deepest point is about 1,056 feet. For visitors, some of the passages through the mountain involve walking upright, while others involve crawling on hands and knees; some others involve squeezing through very tight passages on one’s belly; therefore, a rescue in the cave could easily involve all these types of maneuvering. Further, the vertical sections of the cave require extensive knowledge and practice of single rope techniques, rappelling and ascending long drops in often wet, muddy conditions.

The cave has been the scene of a number of rescues over the years—and even some fatalities. In March 1999, a caver ascending the Incredible Pit became entangled in ropes and was stranded approximately 140 feet off the cave floor, with water flowing into the pit. He apparently died of hypothermia.

Then in February 2011, two University of Florida students died in another pit that was approximately 120 feet deep. One of the men had rappelled down to retrieve some gear when he began calling for help. A companion rappelled to help, but he also became entangled. Both died of hypothermia from waterfall spray before help could reach them. It was reported that both men lacked the needed experience and preparation for dealing with Ellison’s Cave.

Due to the technical and dangerous nature of Ellison’s Cave, it should be explored by only the most experienced and capable cavers. In addition to the long drops, the cave also features technical and potentially dangerous free-climbing and bouldering sections. Beginning cavers develop their skills elsewhere.

The May 26 Incident
On Sunday, May 26, four experienced cavers began a trip into the cave. They planned to do a “crossover” trip, in which drops on opposite sides of the mountain are rigged with ropes. Part of the group enters on one side, while the other part enters on the opposite side. They then pass one another in the lower cave and exit out the other side. There are five levels in the lower cave, requiring climbing up and down the levels to get through to the other side.

At one point the route goes over a “breakdown” pile, or large, angular boulders that are often wet and slippery. It was at this point at about 1530 HRS that a 54-year-old from Pennsylvania—on his third Ellison’s trip—slipped and fell. He slid for a short distance, bounced off a small ledge, slid down an angular ledge and disappeared through an opening in the cave floor. His companions yelled down into the opening, but there was no response. They also could not immediately find a way down.

One member of the group, the trip leader, began a trip to exit the cave via the Fantastic Pit side to go for help. Despite moving relatively quickly, it would take him about 2½ hours to reach the outside.

The Response
Realizing the enormous rescue challenge they were facing, Command decided to quickly activate mutual-aid cave rescue resources. Because Walker County contains 149 registered caves and other rugged terrain in this area of the lower Appalachians, the county’s emergency services operates a Cave and Cliff Rescue Team of its own. But this rescue would require even more human resources. Due to the difficulty of the rescue and the skill level required, the incident commanders (ICs) requested trained cave rescuers who were capable of operating in the cave’s extreme, vertical environment. They began calling resources from Chattanooga, Atlanta, Huntsville, Knoxville and Nashville.

A large support operation was also required. The county’s emergency services command bus was brought in. This bus was equipped with communications and command post gear. Also brought in was the rehab bus, which has a large cache of food packets and, like the command bus, has a kitchen. The Walker County CERT team made gallons of coffee and hot liquids, and cooked large amounts of biscuits and sausage. This “Southern Comfort food” was later taken into the cave in protective packaging so it could provide energy and morale to the large number of rescuers involved.

Allen Padgett, an IC on the operation, describes some of the physical challenges inside the cave: “Rescuers en route to and from the accident site faced a long and difficult trek. After entering the cave, they would walk some 1,500 feet down a rocky stream bed to a 125' drop (the “Warm-Up Pit”) where they would rappel while staying out of the waterfall.

“They then would scramble over a rocky cave floor to reach a 30' rope climb to access the ‘Attic’ area. They then would traverse along narrow ledges and passageways to reach the top of Fantastic Pit. Here, they would rappel down the 586' pit into a vast chamber with a nearby waterfall. From here they would move over boulders down TAG Hall to the stream junction, and then up through a tight squeeze between rocks to the ‘Broken Dome’ room. Then the route eases a bit with a short, low crawl; and then rescuers would reach the ‘Gypsum Room.’ Passing the ‘Snowball Dome,’ the crew would then enter ‘Johns Passage,’ move along it and then climb up into the area of the ‘South Pole’ and reach the accident site.”

Two Immediate Problems
Responders faced two immediate quandaries. First, having only scant information from the companions, they didn’t know what condition the fallen caver was in, or even if he was alive. But there would have to be a response that assumed he was still alive. Second, the area of the cave where the accident occurred is a confusing maze of passages. A responder unfamiliar with the area could spend hours searching—and might get lost themselves. So the IC decided to wait for the arrival of cavers who were familiar with the area. It was a bit of a delay, but in the long run, it was worth it.

The rescuers established entrance control to track when all rescuers entered and left the cave and to make certain unauthorized persons did not get involved. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources provided security in the area around the cave as well as access control.

The first rescuers entered the cave at 2115 HRS. Their first task was to re-rig the drops with rescue ropes (7/16" PMI “Max Wear”). Then the initial team moved toward where the patient was thought to be.

Communications Issues
Like all cave rescues, a major problem at Ellison’s is communication. Radios do not work in these deep areas of earth, so they can’t transmit from the surface to cave passages and back. The solution lies with wired field phones similar to those once used in the military. As they followed the initial teams, crews unspooled the communication wire.

The crews ran the first line from the cave entrance to the top of Fantastic Pit where they set up a phone. In the past, rescuers had experienced problems with phone lines getting snagged and broken in Fantastic. As such, they opted to use walkie-talkies instead. They placed the walkie-talkies in plastic bags to avoid damage from mud and water. A second station was placed at the bottom of the pit, and a second line from there toward the patient. From the command post to the cave entrance, Command communicated via an 800-MHz trunked system and cell phone.

Patient Contact & Medical Care
The initial team, including two paramedics, reached the patient at about 2330 HRS. They found the patient alive but with serious injuries. They also got a clearer idea of what had occurred.

When the fourth member of the group had gone for help, the remaining two men tried to find a way to reach the man who had fallen. After about 20 minutes, they were able to make their way down. He had not fallen into a crack, but rather into a lower level of cave passage filled with broken shale and large boulders.

The climbing companions found him sitting on some small rocks. He was now conscious, but apparently had been unconscious for about 15 minutes. He had a significant head laceration, with a possible basal skull fracture; his face was swollen, his ribs were tender to the touch, and his left leg was angulated. Upon further examination, they saw that the left femur was fractured, which had created an open wound. He was bleeding heavily. Using improvised materials, they were able to staunch the bleeding. The broken femur obviously needed to be stabilized, so they used the only thing they had that could accomplish this: a brake-bar rack. They padded the rack and held it in place using 1" tubular webbing. To help prevent further heat loss, they placed a plastic garbage bag around him. They made him as comfortable as possible, provided reassurance and waited for help to arrive. This initial care provided by his friends likely helped save his life.

When the rescue team reached the patient, and as soon as a field phone station was established at the site, rescuers requested additional equipment, including a Kendrick traction splint, a Sked litter flexible litter, a spine splint, litter packaging material and medical supplies, including IV fluids and medications.

Because it was not interfering with circulation, and removing it might complicate the injury, rescuers left the brake-bar rack in place, but placed the Kendrick traction splint over it. They administered IV fluids, pain meds, antibiotics and, later, a unit of blood. They placed him in the Sked litter atop an Oregon Spine Splint spine board, protected with a vapor barrier and large heat packs. A blood pressure cuff and stethoscope were used to constantly monitor vitals.

Once all the needed gear had reached the patient and paramedics had completed their initial packaging, crews began moving the patient toward the entrance at 0440 HRS. They faced maneuvering the litter through very tight passages in some places and lifting the litter through short, vertical areas. One area of concern was a passage with a 90-degree turn, where they thought they might have to take the patient out of the litter for a short move, but the litter team found an alternate way around. In one particularly tight passage, a narrow, flat-sided, vertical crevice of about 10 feet, the litter became jammed, even with pushing and pulling from above and below. Then, a rescuer brought out a 3:1 MA “jigger,” a miniature, pre-rigged hauling system, anchored it, clipped it to the strap on the head end and applied tension. By wiggling the litter, the team managed to move it slowly upward until it was free.

Planning the Litter Raise
The patient reached the bottom of Fantastic Pit at 0900 HRS. There, still in the Sked, he was placed in a basket litter that would be easier to rig for a vertical haul ascension and easier to hand-carry outside the cave.

While awaiting the patient’s arrival at the Fantastic Pit, rigging crews began preparing for a litter raise. This presents special problems for a hauling system.

As mentioned, Ellison’s Fantastic Pit is considered the longest free drop of any cave in the Lower 48. For comparison, it is approximately 20 feet shorter than the Seattle Space Needle.

Having experienced a number of litter raises from this location, responders knew that the most efficient and safest system would be a 1:1 MA counterbalance haul system. The plan: A rope would run from the litter up to a pulley attached to a ceiling by very strong bolts. Once over the pulley, it would run across the pit to a section known as “The Balcony.” Once there, a second rope would attach to bolts on the wall and be dropped into the pit. Two rescuers would provide the counterbalance weight. To do this, a rescuer would attach their brake bar rack to the second rope. Attached below them via a short tether would be a second rescuer. The main line haul rope would be attached to the upper rescuer. To haul the litter, the upper rescuer would begin a controlled rappel with his rack; as the two rescuers descended, the litter would ascend.

There would still be the challenges of what to do when the litter neared the top. Because the launch point for the rappellers/counterbalance team was lower than the top of the pit, the rappellers would hit the bottom before the litter reached the top edge of the pit. It would be too time-consuming and dangerous to tie off the main line, have the counterbalance team ascend back up some 70 feet and restart their descent.

The litter also needed to be moved horizontally above the pit to the “Attic,” where they could detach the litter and move it toward the entrance. To solve this challenge, the rescuers rigged a 3:1 MA haul system with a rope grab to be attached when the counterbalance team reached the bottom. They also rigged (on the far side of the “Attic”) a brake-bar rack anchored to a large boulder. They threaded a tagline through the rack. Once needed, rescuers slacked off on the tagline as rescuers on the opposite side hauled the litter across the top of the pit.

No Litter Tender, No Belay
There wasn’t a litter tender on the litter haul. A litter would mean a “two-person load,” greatly increasing the stress on the system. In fact, the rescuers in the region have an SOP of no litter tender, and teams must get permission from an IC before a litter tender is added to a haul load.

There was no belay either, as that would compromise safety. This may sound counterintuitive to many in the rescue community, but in a vertical haul of 586 feet, 31 feet higher than the Washington Monument, a separate belay line would eventually entangle with the haul line—likely by the time the load was up 100 feet or so. This would lock down the system to a dangerous degree, making it impossible to raise it farther and likely very difficult to set it back down.

Patient Exit
The patient was successfully raised up “Fantastic,” and at 1145 HRS, he reached the “Warm-Up Pit” for a second haul, this one at 125 feet, which was already rigged for vertical and for a relatively quick raise.

The patient exited the cave at 1230 HRS. Still in the litter, he was placed in a four-wheel-drive vehicle and transported down a mountain road to a waiting Lifeforce helicopter.

An ambulance had been parked near the LZ as backup in case the helo encountered problems. As the four-wheel-drive vehicle approached the LZ, the patient began to experience breathing problems, so medical personnel felt he should be intubated before the helicopter flight. He was first placed in the ambulance, where he was intubated, then loaded into the Lifeforce helicopter.

Lifeforce transported him to the Level 1 trauma center at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he was admitted in critical condition. After treatment for his injuries, he was released from the hospital on July 5.

Still Not Done
Although the patient had been transported, the operation was still not finished. There remained many rescuers at the bottom of the cave. All of them had to ascend the two drops and assist with moving a couple thousand pounds of wet and muddy equipment toward the entrance, along with rolling up thousands of feet of comm wire.

Getting everyone up the Fantastic Pit was a major task. Even the most experienced and fit rescuer, using an efficient ascending system, would take a minimum of 30 minutes to ascend. Others would take as long as an hour.

All of the rescuers were out of the cave by 1835 HRS. Rescuers and their gear were then moved off the mountain and back to the staging area. The total number of rescuers and support personnel was 106, with 71 of those inside the cave at one point or another.

Command was terminated at 1941 HRS on Monday, May 27.

“It turned out to be an example of how everything works the way it’s supposed to. Without them and the rescue/medical teams, Dwight would not have made it out alive.” —Jill Kempf, the wife of patient Dwight Kemp

Sources: The bulk of information for this report was provided by Captain Allen Padgett of Walker County (Ga.) Emergency Services who was an IC on the mission. Padgett is also co-author of “On Rope, North American Vertical Rope Techniques.” Buddy Lane, a second IC on the incident, filled in some critical details. Some additional details were taken from The Chattanooga TimesFreePress.com; The Flowstone, the newsletter published by the Cullman Grotto of the National Speleological Society; and account by rescuer Ryan Rodd, posted on Facebook.

Lessons Learned/Lessons Reinforced:
Allen Padgett provides the following observations:

“Over the years the National Cave Rescue Commission has taught a standardized curriculum to a cadre (of mostly volunteers) from all over the United States. This paid off on a holiday weekend with the successful rescue of a severely injured person.

“One thing learned from long ago: Don’t try to micromanage the crew if they are trained and competent.

“Also, you must provide rescuers support, such as food, snacks and liquids. Feed them when they go in and when they get out. And, of course, provide porta-potties.

“As soon as the managers interviewed the reporting party, they initiated mutual-aid responses from several different experienced cave rescue teams. These resource orders specified that responders should have prior experience in this big pit and have completed cave rescue training. Some resources were even given delayed planned arrival times to provide for sufficient resources late into the incident. A sample call from 7 p.m.: ‘Can your team be here at 7 a.m.? Get some sleep and we’ll see you in the morning.’

“Typical operational periods on a cave rescue are a minimum of 24 hours. Because of the extreme difficulty of movement inside the cave, it is simply ‘first-in, last-out.’ In this incident, the patient reached the entrance six hours before the last rescuer exited. When the patient has been transported, the incident is not over until all rescuers are out of the cave and taken care of.

“Having two large 3 x 6 whiteboards at the briefing area allowed incoming resources to quickly get up to speed on the situation. One showed a profile of the cave route, and the other showed the incident organization. Patient movement was also tracked on the profile.

“During the incident, many crews completed their rigging assignments or transport assignments and then got comfortable and slept as best they could until needed again. On long-term incidents, never pass up the opportunity to rest.”