Paramedic Remembers Rope Rescue at Map Curve

Map Curve, also known as “Dead Man’s Curve” by locals, is a sweeping curve of Highway 26 just west of Government Camp. The scenic stretch of highway is notorious for being the site of serious car crashes over the years.

Evan Jarvis will never forget that July night in 2023 when he responded to the call as a member of the special rope rescue team. He and other emergency first responders performed the daring rescue of two injured crash victims.

Hoodland and Clackamas County fire crews worked all through the night extricating the pair from the vehicle that went down a steep embankment at Map Curve. They were transported by Life Flight helicopters to a Portland Hospital. 

“It was a massive all-night rescue operation between Hoodland and Clackamas,” Jarvis said. “The crew performed a really technical operation, extrication from the vehicle and a rope rescue to get them to the top.”

Jarvis, 36, is The Mountain Times Hoodland Fire District Fire Focus Firefighter of the month. The training officer for the fire district, Jarvis runs the special rescue programs, including rope rescue, water rescue, and snow ATV rescue teams.

It’s his job to make sure his crew is well equipped and ready to respond to emergencies on the mountain such as Map Curve, one of the most memorable calls of his career.

Jarvis, a career firefighter since 2014, got his start as a Hoodland volunteer in 2007. He is a full time paid staff lieutenant paramedic. 

He enjoys working at Hoodland, especially with his fellow firefighters and the variety of calls they get. Working one 48-hour shift a week, there’s never a dull moment.

“I love it here, it’s a lot of fun,” Jarvis said. “There’s no boring days. Every day is different. There is no monotony. I can be on an engine one day, a rescue the next. It’s a lot of fun to be able to have that change and not have to be stuck on one vehicle, running the same calls all the time.

“We get a lot of variety here, which is really nice. We get diverse types of calls. Between medicals and car accidents, car fires and trail rescues, we have a diverse area here, which allows us to have diverse types of calls.”

Fire service runs in the Jarvis family. His father has been a Hoodland volunteer since the 1980s. Jarvis grew up on the mountain, spending a lot of time at the fire station.

“I grew up in the fire department.” Jarvis said. “What drove me to it was the camaraderie. We have fun while at work and get to help people at the same time. Getting to know my co-workers as friends, we spend a third of our life together. We have a lot of fun together. That’s what I enjoy about the job.”

One of his favorite things about his job as a paramedic is making a difference in people’s lives.

“I really enjoy getting to help people, see how it makes a difference in people’s lives, see how our skills really help people,” he said. “That’s really rewarding.”

When he’s not working his full time job, Jarvis volunteers with the Hood River County search and rescue team. He also likes to ride ATVs and spend time with his wife and their Great Pyrenees. He and his wife bought a home in Zigzag around the time he started his career at Hoodland Fire District.

Hoodland is seeking applicants for its volunteer firefighting academy training program, which begins next far more information, phone 503-622-3256