Carlisle hiker's accident draws attention to first responders

Nov. 12--A sunny Sunday in late September was made for hiking and Joni Brickner knew it.

She set out with her dog, Reagan, and her friend with her golden retriever for a trip up the Appalachian Trail.

What happened on the trail, though, made her ever grateful to area first responders and inspired her to bring their struggles during the COVID pandemic to light.

The fall

Looking back, a decision not to grab a hiking pole made all the difference.

Brickner and her friend initially thought about a shorter hike because they had been talking about going to the Food Truck Festival being held the same day at Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, but decided to take her friend's truck and go on a longer trek. Brickner didn't take along her hiking pole when the plans changed.

The two women and their dogs parked on Sherwood Drive and headed up the mountain. Reaching the top, they took some photos and started back. About 1,500 yards after a sharp turn in the trail, Brickner slid on some gravel. Her left leg slid out in front of her and her right leg buckled back under her, making a "squish, crunch" sound, as she described it.

Had she had that pole, it might not have been so bad.

"I probably would have just sat on my butt than sliding so far," she said.

Hoping that maybe it was just a sprain, Brickner tried to stand up, but her ankle went out "like the bottom of a scarecrow."

She braced her ankle, in which she later learned she had broken two bones, on a rock and pulled out a cellphone to call 911. She could hear the sirens approaching even as the fire company called back to verify the location.

"It wasn't 45 minutes to an hour and they were up there with their basket," she said.

Chief Michael Minich of the Shermans Dale Fire Company said rescuers usually take an ATV in as far as they can and then walk the rest of the way in with backboards or stretchers to carry injured people out.

"It's a lot of walking," he said.

Shermans Dale responded to the call along with New Kingstown and Upper Frankford fire companies as well as Silver Spring EMS.

Brickner said the crews splinted her leg, and she slid into the basket to be carried to a waiting ATV. Then, she rode on the back of the ATV to Deer Lane where the ambulance was waiting to take her to West Shore Hospital. She had surgery on the ankle and has been recovering.

Her thoughts keep returning to the volunteers who were "so professional, so kind" as they took her down the mountain.

"They get the call and they just come on a Sunday afternoon, a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I mean, they could have been doing anything and yet they come," she said. "It could make me cry. I'm just so grateful."

COVID and finances

In a letter to the editor of The Sentinel, Brickner thanked the fire company volunteers and urged the community to support them financially.

"In this time of COVID, they are limited in their ability to raise funds so I'd like to encourage the community to contribute as we can these vital services can continue to be provided," she wrote.

"We have halted pretty much all of our fundraising," said Alex Hall of the New Kingstown Fire Company.

Typically, the fire company would be holding monthly meat raffles, but it's now only selling tickets for its super raffle in May. Hall estimated that at least 10% -- or $100,000 -- of their operational budget comes from fundraising.

The fire company petitioned the township to increase the fire tax with the expressed intent to decrease the amount of time volunteers would have to devote to fundraising so that they could focus more on training and running fire calls.

"We've been fortunate with that, with the fire tax, that we haven't had to rely so much on the fundraising aspect of it," he said.

The bite is a little stronger in Shermans Dale where the fire company budget is missing an estimated $130,000 to $140,000 that normally would come in through fundraising. Those are funds that take care of essentials like truck repair, fuel, heating the fire station, insurance, utilities, phones and electric.

"It's our regular bills that we have," Minich said. "It takes in quite a bit."

There has, however, been a bit of a silver lining. Some in the community donated portions of their stimulus checks to the fire company.

"We appreciate it tremendously," Minich said.

Like their neighboring fire companies and EMS companies across the county, both fire companies are accepting donations, and Minich said it would be the "perfect way" to support the local fire company or ambulance at this time.

Hall said donations do not have to be monetary. The fire company takes donations like bottled water, Gatorade and other nutritional snacks to take on calls.

Hiking safety

With more people heading outside due to the pandemic, hikers can make it easier for first responders by taking precautions when they head out.

Brickner's first and most vital piece of advice was not to hike alone.

Those who do hike alone, though, should let someone know where they are going and what time they plan to reach predetermined checkpoints. Then, they should let their contact know when they reach that checkpoint, Hall said.

The New Kingstown Fire Company ends up on the trail a handful of times each year to help people who are lost or who have an injury that requires them to be taken down.

"The most challenging part is figuring out where exactly on the trail the person is. Most times, they're only familiar with ... [being] on the Appalachian Trail between this road and this road," Hall said.

If a hiker does get lost, they should not hesitate to call 911 since it's much easier to search in daylight than in the dark, he said.

First responders also recommended taking additional portable cellphone chargers and making sure the phone stays charged.

"With GPS now and phones, it makes it a whole lot easier tracking people and pinpoints where they're at," Minich said.

As long as the phone stays charged, county control can stay in touch and pinpoint them, he said. County control can also ping one of the fire company phones to track them to make sure they are heading in the right direction.

Brickner also said hikers should wear sturdy footwear, bring water along and have proper gear with them in case something goes wrong.

"Accidents happen and they happen quick," she said.

And, don't forget the hiking pole.

Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt.

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