VIENNA — Several area first responders worked together last Wednesday afternoon to rescue a woman who was reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis.

When the Maries County 911 Communications Center received a call after 1 p.m. on Sept. 25 about a possible suicidal subject, pings from cell phone towers led responders to the Get Away access to the Gasconade River across from Moreland’s resort.

Members of the Maries County Sheriff’s Office and Maries County Emergency Management responded to the scene. They located a vehicle, personal items including shoes and cell phone, and footprints leading into the river.

Dispatch called additional personnel to the scene. Other agencies called into action included the Vienna Fire Protection District, Vichy Volunteer Fire Department, Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD), the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

All available responders deployed to the river banks. Maries County Chief Deputy Scott John estimated between 20 and 30 personnel were called to the scene. The sheriff’s office used a drone, and MDC deployed a boat on the river because the sheriff’s office does not have a boat. A local person who happened to already have their personal boat on the river also helped to look for the person in crisis.

After a short search, the MDC boat with Conservation Agent Tex Rabenau, Maries County Deputy Jay Yelton and Maries County Jailer Jeff Jones onboard located the woman, who is in her 30s, about 3 miles down the river. She was floating face down near the shoreline.

Rabenau is a trained paramedic and Yelton and Jones are trained EMTs. After assessing the woman’s condition, they determined she was not breathing, and they could not locate a pulse. They pulled her onto the shoreline, and Yelton administered CPR with the assistance of the others. The life-saving effort revived the woman, who began breathing normally after vomiting water.

The boat took the woman back to the river access. MOAD assessed her condition again before transporting her to Phelps Health in Rolla.

“The swift, quick reaction of first responders in the community made the difference between life and death,” John said.

In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office emphasized the importance of training and equipment, such as the drone used for aerial searching, in conducting rescues such as this.

“Having personnel with proper training and proper equipment are vital to the success of our missions,” Maries County Sheriff’s Office wrote in the post. “Thank you to the taxpayers of Maries County and the Maries County Commissioners for providing this equipment to our first responder agencies.”

The post also expressed relief that the woman was with medical professionals and hoped that she received the care she needed.

Individuals struggling with mental health or experiencing suicidal thoughts may call 988 at any time to access the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to receive free and confidential support from a crisis specialist. More information about the service is available online at missouri988.org.