Too many people are conditioned to "go call for help" instead of dealing with the immediate problem on their own. In the backcountry there is no immediate help. Help is many hours away. You are "help." The emergency in this case was immediate and needed to be dealt with inside of several seconds, not hours.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.