Fire Copter Rescues Paraglider Stranded in Carpinteria Mountains
A Sunday-afternoon flight over the coastal mountains above Carpinteria ended with a call to Carpinteria-Summerland Fire when a paraglider went down below Divide Peak. Dispatch was able to locate him using his cell phone’s GPS, but when the department’s paramedics tried to climb up from below and Search & Rescue teams tried from above, the steep terrain defeated both attempts. Ultimately, a rescuer descended from Fire Copter 3 and brought the man out. He was in his sixties and had only minor injuries.