Text and PHOTOS BY PATRICK CURREY
Climbing into his ConocoPhillips 4x4 work truck, Helper, Utah native Ricky Collins said, “You can’t go wrong with the view from my mobile office.”
Located in central Utah, Helper is ringed by mountains, buttressed by the towering Book Cliffs — from Pinnacle Peak to Castle Gate. Outdoor recreation enthusiasts boast about the great hiking, fishing and hunting opportunities in the immense natural beauty these wide-open spaces offer.
“I wouldn’t live anyplace else,” says Ricky, a ConocoPhillips multi-skill operator who works out of the Price field office.
“Helper is the kind of place where people still leave their doors unlocked,” said Ricky, whose own deep roots to the area go back generations. “Everybody knows everybody else, and they have your back.”
The town got its name from the extra “helper” locomotives that were staged to assist the heavily ladened coal trains over Soldier Summit in the Wasatch Mountains bound for Salt Lake City.
Ricky knows this outdoor paradise like the back of his hand. If you ever get into trouble in the wilds of central Utah, he’s a good person to have “watching your six.”
He got his emergency medical technician certification as part of ConocoPhillips commitment to safety. He’s put it to even more important use serving the community. Dive and swift water certified, he’s been involved in more than 20 back country operations during his time on the “all volunteer” force.
“We’ve had to rope rescue people off the ledges of the Book Cliffs.”
He recalls reaching an injured cowboy whose horse had tumbled down the mountain. “The horse rolled over him and crushed his leg in particularly rugged terrain.”
Ricky provided first aid and comfort through the night. “We got him choppered out by the early morning light.”
For his response to another off-hours emergency, he was the recipient of a 2022 Lifesaver SPIRIT Award.
“My wife Rachelle and I were driving back through Spanish Fork from Salt Lake. Near the summit of Price Canyon traffic came to a stop,” Collins recalled. As they approached the top of the hill, they saw a twisted heap of sheet metal. A jack-knifed semi was on top of a crushed car. Ricky was the first responder. This was the worst accident he’d ever seen.
“She was in really rough shape. I did my assessments to find the deep lacerations.”
Applying three tourniquets and pressure, he stanched the bleeding. He had to use a come-a-long to pry the door off. Then he saw something that shook him to his core. In the back was an infant seat, baby clothes strewn about, but there was no child.
He was afraid the child had been thrown from the car. While Ricky continued to apply first aid, Rachelle frantically scoured the area looking for a kid. His darkest fear was a baby under the wreckage. Paramedics finally arrived and secured the victim in the ambulance.
“I know every guy on rescue. Honestly, I didn’t think she’d make it, but she was in the best possible hands.”
Several hours later an incredible burden lifted when he got the call that the child was with relatives and the mom would make it through. There’s no doubt Collins professional training and fast action saved a life that day.
Price, a sister town to Helper a few miles down the road, has a Coal Miners Memorial dedicated to the proud mining heritage that helped forge a region. It’s a sobering monument dedicated to the 1,400 people who have given the ultimate sacrifice on the job since the 1880’s. The community knows something about the depth of pain that comes from sudden profound loss — it’s committed to never forgetting. They also know how to rally and support one another through the tough times.
In that same spirit of service, guys like Ricky Collins pick up the gauntlet and continue the tradition of somebody always on the ready to lend a helping hand. He’s got your back.
