Sisters man deemed Red Cross hero

Clay Davis, a firefighter and student EMT with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department, is being recognized as a "Wilderness Rescue and Safety Hero" by the American Red Cross.

The Oregon Mountain River Chapter will host its sixth annual Heroes' Breakfast on Wednesday, June 9, at 7:30 a.m. at the National Guard Armory, 875 S.W. Simpson Ave. in Bend. This special event recognizes heroes in the community - ordinary people who took extraordinary actions to help fellow citizens. Special recognition will be given to Central Oregon military personnel who returned home this spring.

Davis is an avid skier and outdoorsman, as is his uncle, Tom Gall, a fellow firefighter/EMT and resident of Rhododendron, OR. On December 26, 2009, Clay visited his aunt and uncle and, late that afternoon, the men - along with their friend Phil Todd - decided to go cross-country skiing for a few hours.

The trio planned to ski along the unusually accessible Pacific Crest Trail, starting at Lolo Pass. Gall had been there the previous day without incident; none of them could have predicted the trouble to come.

A mile from the trailhead, the trio had to cross a steep open pitch. Gall, an experienced backcountry skier, led the way and told the others to plant their poles for traction. A minute later he heard a scream. He turned to see "a giant snowball" tumbling down the precipitous slope.

It was Phil Todd.

Todd had slipped and plummeted over the edge onto a steep snow slope, skidded over a blocky cliff, and rag-dolled through trees and bushes before he came to rest 600 to 700 feet below the trail. His friends could not see him. When asked later what he remembered of the accident, Todd said, "I just remember sliding, and then it all goes blank."

Ten minutes passed before Gall and Davis could reach Todd. Gall called that the worst part of their experience, ten minutes of deathly silence.

"I just knew it was not going to be good," he recalled.

They found Todd upside down, semiconscious, face bloody, clothes shredded, skin exposed and with an obvious leg injury. Todd was also showing signs of a head injury.

After splinting Todd's leg with a ski pole, Gall took a GPS reading, climbed back up the slope and went for help. Davis stayed with Todd, precariously balanced on the hillside as daylight was waning, knowing that the rescue could take hours.

Clay did everything possible to keep Todd comfortable and awake. He gave Todd his hat and coat and sat in the frigid temperatures wet, having run through a stream when he and Gall descended the hill to reach Todd.

Davis held Todd in a manner that allowed Todd to breathe easier and keep them both warm. After arranging the rescue, Gall returned about two hours later. Eventually 25 rescuers arrived on the scene. As rescuers arrived, Davis was showing signs of hypothermia and Gall sent him down the hill to the warmth of one if the vehicles.

As he came downhill, Davis saw a rescuer toting a heavy rope and pitched in to help until he was once again ordered down the hill. Eight hours later, Phil Todd was successfully evacuated.

The EMT said the experience was enlightening.

"I'd never been on that side of a rescue before," he said. "Every second you're out there seems like forever."

That reinforced for him the importance of making quick contact with those awaiting rescue to assure them that help is on the way.

Sisters Fire Chief Tay Robertson said, "We're very proud of Clay, and I think the whole community should be proud of his actions."