Hunting Season Readiness: South Park Township Responders Hone Deep-Woods Rescue Skills

South Park, PA - Members of the Broughton Volunteer Fire Department participated in an intensive wilderness rescue training session Tuesday evening, partnering with regional emergency medical leadership to prepare for hunting-season emergencies and remote, off-road medical calls.

The instruction took place on the evening of Tuesday, October 13, 2026, led by Lt. Kaplan and Chief Plunkett of Baldwin Emergency Medical Service. With hunting season actively underway across Western Pennsylvania, the evolution focused on tactical rescue procedures specifically tailored for deep-woods medical incidents, including hunter-related trauma and falls from elevated tree stands.

Instruction centered heavily on environmental adaptation and low-resource operations in areas inaccessible to standard structural engines and heavy rescue apparatus.

Volunteers drilled on rapid patient packaging, mechanical stabilization using portable equipment, and technical extrication methods required to safely move critical patients over difficult terrain to awaiting EMS transport units.

Department officials commended Baldwin EMS for sharing their specialized pre-hospital expertise, emphasizing that ongoing interagency collaboration ensures field personnel remain highly proficient in wilderness rescue operations throughout South Park Township and surrounding communities.