A man who slipped and broke his leg on Mount Wells Thursday ended up having to be extracted from the mountain by helicopter, due to treacherous conditions on the ground.
B.C. Ambulance, Langford and Sooke fire departments and the Department of National Defence all became involved in a long process to get the man to hospital.
B.C. Ambulance first asked for Langford Fire Rescue's at about 2:30 p.m. to help in getting the man off the mountain in the Capital Regional District regional park. Langford sent six fire-fighters and a stretcher.
Assistant fire chief Scott Davidson said when crews arrived they found the area
"The terrain was fairly slippery, dangerous, due to the time of year and weather conditions," Davidson said.
The temperature was also dropping, so the crew called for more help from Langford, as well as from Sooke Fire Rescue.
Given the conditions, the crews decided an air evacuation by helicopter would be the best option. B.C. Ambulance's helicopter wasn't available, so military assistance was requested. A Cormorant helicopter was brought in and after several hours the man was lifted off the mountain.
The hiker was stable throughout the process.
"It wasn't such a priority for the patient, he was stable although getting cold obviously, it was the danger to our rescuers," Davidson said. "It was becoming a huge concern for us."
A couple of firefighters did slip and fall, resulting in some scraps and bruises, but nothing serious. Crews returned back to their stations by about 9:30 p.m.
"Lots of good work by the career and volunteer members," Davidson said.