Woman in medical distress evacuated from lodge in Pennask Summit area

KELOWNA – What started out as a routine call turned into a long night for search and rescue volunteers called to a lodge near the Pennask Summit between Peachland and Merritt.

Search manager Ephraim Nowak says in a media release, crews were responded to a report of a woman in distress yesterday, March 20, at a lodge. Members of the Kelowna Snowmobile Club assisted because the area was only accessible by snowmobile.

Nowak says they decided to spend the night with the woman instead of transporting her over 12 kilometres by snowmobile. They kept the woman stable overnight and a B.C. Air Ambulance transported her to Kelowna General Hospital this morning.

“Although it meant spending a few additionally hours in the field, this option allowed us to provide the best standard of care for her," Nowak says in the release. "Conditions were favourable, risks were minimized and the outcome exceeded our expectations.”

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