Red River firefighters rescued a woman and her daughter after a weekend snowmobile accident.

On Jan. 13 a snowmobile driven by an 18-year-old with her 52-year-old mother riding in the back hit a tree and went over the edge, according to a KOB 4 report. The mother was thrown from the vehicle. The two were apparently headed up to Greenie Peak on Sawmill Mountain when the driver lost control.

“When I got on scene, there was just one person off the edge a little bit, about probably 30 feet,” said Deke Willis, Red River Fire Department chief. “But they said ‘no that’s not the person that’s hurt. The other person is 200 feet down the hill.”

Willis took a picture looking down at where the mother had fallen then descended from tree to tree until he got to her, according to the report. Willis said the woman was in bad condition, so he quickly called for support from volunteer firefighters.

Eight firefighters responded immediately and assisted in the woman’s rescue. She was transported to the hospital.

She was “in rough shape,” Willis said, but alive.

“We needed rope rescue, all hands on deck,” Willis said. “They come running when – they can tell by the tone in my voice when I’m on the radio that it’s something important.”

Before COVID-19, the Red River Fire Department had five full-time positions, Willis said.  Now the staff consists of himself and the Emergency Medical Services supervisor.

With tourism on the rise due to a healthy snow season, the department is getting more calls. Willis said 90% of those calls are medical emergencies.

“We cater to the tourists,” he said. “I mean that’s our bread and butter, is the tourists.”

“If something does happen, we’re there,” Willis said. “We’re there 24/7 even for a small town, we provide a great service.”