ATTEAN TOWNSHIP — Local Jackman-Moose River firefighters were the first official aid workers to reach a man who collapsed while hiking Sally Mountain on Friday.

But they were not the first to help Peter Goldberg, who was president and chief executive officer of a Milwaukee-based organization called the Alliance for Children and Families, in addition to its parent holding company, Families International.

The organization represents more than 360 nonprofit organizations that provide residential care for children, prevention and intervention programs and economic self-sufficiency initiatives, according to his obituary in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

His wife, Betsy, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the two hours it took rescuers to arrive, Jackman-Moose River Fire Chief Bill Jarvis said on Monday.

Despite her efforts, Goldberg, 63, of Wisconsin, died of a heart attack.

Firefighters found Goldberg and his wife on a hiking trail on the mountain located southwest of Jackman. A few minutes after they arrived, members of the Jackman Volunteer Ambulance Corps arrived, followed by two members of a LifeFlight helicopter crew, Jarvis said.

LifeFlight had flown to the mountain when Goldberg’s wife called 911 around 2:20 p.m., but the nearest spot the helicopter could land was a mile away. The terrain was so rough it took the two members nearly an hour to hike to the scene, Jarvis said.

Wardens then arrived and helped carry down Goldberg’s body. In total, 23 people were involved with the carry: They included local firefighters and medical personnel, the LifeFlight crew, four U.S. Border Patrol agents, one U.S. Customs officer and wardens.

Through the Somerset County Communications Center, Jarvis requested that the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railroad send a train car to help move Goldberg and the rescuers.

Accessing the trail requires boating across Attean Pond and then hiking up. Several hundred feet in from the lake, the trail crosses the railroad tracks.

“Instead of trying to bring out the victim and all of the rescuers out by boat after dark in a lake that is full of rocks, the MMA Railroad employee shuttled out the victim and most of the rescuers. Four of the rescuers did come out in one boat,” Jarvis said.

The Maine Forest Service brought a helicopter, which rescuers hoped could settle on top of the mountain. The terrain was so rough, however, there was no place it could land.

Goldberg’s work to improve the lives of alcoholics and the unemployed was lauded by First Lady Michelle Obama, according to his obituary.

Goldberg and his wife enjoyed vacationing in Maine, in addition to places around the world, according to his obituary. He had two daughters, Jessica and Michelle.

Erin Rhoda — 612-2368

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