US Coast Guard Hawaiian division Heli medivac operation from M/S Maasdam

Highlights of a recent medivac operation off the coast of Maui and an 18 hour return to the Hawaiian coastline from the San Diego course. The Helicopter made three flights to & from the ship. 04:50-07:00 & 09:30.

Youtube link:

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks also to the professionalism of the crew and the medivac team.

Keith

Here is the official USCG Press Release on the medevac off Maasdam which occurred on the morning of Tuesday, 20 FEB 2018 off Maui, Hi. The air crew was from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point on neighboring Oahu. Bravo Zulu once again Coast Guard, for executing, and Maasdam Captain Arno Jutten and crew for facilitating this rescue

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/1dc53f0

Cooper10-8 thanks for sharing this as well.

Keith

Glad the USCG was there to assist.

Congrats to them for a job well done.

Hope the medevaced passenger will be okay.

OP

Thank you for the video.

Hope the passenger is doing well by now.

Watched the Coast Guard in action on a Med Evac in the Bering Sea. It was snowing on & off, gusts of winds & fairly high seas. Very well done. It's good to know that there are highly trained professional's out there when & if you need them.

Allan

Thanks Bellair and Copper 10 for sharing.

Very admirable work on the evacs by the USCG & crew on board.

We had a medivac on Koningsdam in February on our last sea day on the way back to Fort Lauderdale. We had a corner aft cabin and the transfer took place right over us, just a few decks up--it was loud! The captain evacuated the aft open decks and asked everyone with balconies on the port side from the aft elevators all the way around the stern to stay in their cabins. We did stay inside, but we could see the helicopter make several approaches. A few passes to check out the situation and then low hover three times for more than 5 minutes at a time. In movies, the helo swoops in, makes the transfer and flies away. This whole process took over an hour.

I saw a helicopter once. It was cool. It could fly in the air. Sometimes it didn't even move. It just seemed to stay in one place. That was the helicopter I saw. It was orange. It came over the water. I think some people were in it. I think that a helicopter could land in water. Then if somebody was sick they could float them to the helicopter. Then it could take off again. It could take off out of the water. That would be the best way.

We had a medivac on Koningsdam in February on our last sea day on the way back to Fort Lauderdale. We had a corner aft cabin and the transfer took place right over us, just a few decks up--it was loud! The captain evacuated the aft open decks and asked everyone with balconies on the port side from the aft elevators all the way around the stern to stay in their cabins. We did stay inside, but we could see the helicopter make several approaches. A few passes to check out the situation and then low hover three times for more than 5 minutes at a time. In movies, the helo swoops in, makes the transfer and flies away. This whole process took over an hour.

With helo medevacs, there is an entire process involved. They, aerial medical evacuations (medevacs), remain an inherently dangerous business that require extensive skills by everyone involved, particularly by the aircraft commander and his/her crew.

The process starts with the ship's senior doctor who recommends the medevac to the captain who has to agree. This conclusion is usually reached because the immediate needs of the patient are over and beyond what can be offered on the ship by the medical staff. The captain instructs one of his officers to contact the nearest land-based rescue coordination center (RCC), Centre for our Brit and Canuck friends ;) . Which center depends of course on what the ship's position is at the time. Then, the type of equipment (aircraft) as well as their range (how long and how far can they fly, and how long can they loiter when they arrive on scene). If you're off the coast of West Africa, the available capabilities and resources are not the same as you would/will find off both coasts of North America, the North Sea, Baltic or Med in Europe, off the coast of Japan, etc.

There is quite a bit of preparation to be done on board to facilitate such an operation; First and foremost, everything that is loose/not permanently attached on/to the bow or stern decks (the two most used areas of the ship used for aerial medevacs) and/or above, and in close proximity to them, i.e. sun loungers, small tables, glass/ceramic ware, ashtrays!, etc. needs to be removed and made safe/secured to eliminate anything being sucked up into the helo by its rotor wash. This is done the Beverage Dept.

The ship's foremast, when possible, is lowered and the forward (or aft) string lights removed (done by the Bosun and his sailors). Next up, the entire forward (or aft) portion of the ship, from the highest deck on down, so including the Crow’s Nest and Spa/Gym, main show lounge, has to be evacuated and isolated. This is accomplished by a combination of Security and ERST (Emergency Response Support Team, formerly known as the ship's Rescue Squad) crew. Last, but certainly not least, the ship’s four Fire and hose teams are mustered to stand by in strategic positions covering the bow (or stern) with charged fire hoses and AFFF foam canisters in case things go really wrong. In charge of these teams, from the Deck Dept. will be the incident commander who is the First Officer (the Tech Dept. IC will act as his assistant). Captain, Staff Captain, I.T. Officer (for comms with the aircraft) and others will be on the bridge and in communications with the Deck I/C.

When the helicopter arrives on station, at times accompanied by a multi-engine fixed wing aircraft which will go into a large orbit above the ship to act as on-scene aerial commander/coordinator, the helo's crew, usually the pilot not flying, will establish contact with the bridge and will go over procedures (he/she will instruct the ship as to what course and speed it needs to maintain during the medevac). There will be a number of orbits over and encircling the ship by the helo as it's crew determines the most advantageous position on the ship from which the medevac will take place, as stated, on HAL ships, usually the bow (most) and/or the stern (less). This decision is up to the aircraft commander, not the ship's captain. I've been on a ship (Noordam) where the USCG crew first selected the stern and landed their rescue swimmer there, and then switched to the bow for the hoist up, resulting in the ship's crew having to switched their focus from one location to the other but, as they say, ship happens.

While all this is going on, the patient is being prepared in the infirmary by the medical staff and, when this is completed, transported to the medevac location by the ship's stretcher team. The helo will first drop a rescue specialist (known as a rescue swimmer in the USCG, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps; a para-rescue jumper or "P.J." in the USAF, A SAR Tech by the Canadians, Winchman by the Royal Air Force, etc.). Aside from USAF P.J.s, these are not paramedics. The French Navy will drop a qualified doctor plus a Navy paramedic down on the deck which is what occurred to us off French Polynesia. He/she will confer with the ship's doctor and obtain an assessment on the patient, known as "survivor" in the USCG, and will then call for a litter/stokes basket to be hoisted down by the helo's winch operator. The litter is unhooked and the patient is transferred into same. The helo will have left it's hovering position above the deck and is usually making orbits around the ship until the rescue swimmer radios for the helo's return via his/her AN/PRC-125 hand-held radio.

The helo takes up station above the deck again and the hoist cable is lowered back to the ship by the hoist operator. It is hooked onto the litter/patient by the rescue swimmer and the combo is hoisted up into the helo by the hoist operator. One of the ship's nurses may, or may not (depending if there is a qualified medical person as part of the air crew on board the helo) have preceded the patient into the helo. Finally, the rescue swimmer him/herself is hoisted back on board and the helo departs for terra firma and a medical facility.

I have been personally involved in five such medevacs now (one in 2012 off Puerto Rico, one in 2012 off Tahiti, one in 2015 off the Bahamas, and two in 2017, the first off Vancouver Island - the Canadians from 442 Sqn, CFB Comox were committed so a CGAS Port Angeles, WA Dolphin crew performed the medevac - and the last one, some 250 miles southwest of San Diego) I am constantly in awe of the professionalism of these SAR helicopter crews, no matter how many times you see them operate. Hats off to them! "That others may live"

North American Rescue Coordination Centers

Copper 10-8 - When you get a chance can you tell me the difference between the orange and yellow USCG helicopters? I am very familiar with the orange but not the yellow. And, I am very familiar with the green Marine helicopters and can hear them coming for miles, but I have not seen the white one you show. Thanks for all the good detailed info you provide us. Cherie

Pretty interesting look of the stern of Noordam from the USCG Rescue Swimmer's perspective

Copper 10-8 - When you get a chance can you tell me the difference between the orange and yellow USCG helicopters? I am very familiar with the orange but not the yellow. And, I am very familiar with the green Marine helicopters and can hear them coming for miles, but I have not seen the white one you show. Thanks for all the good detailed info you provide us. Cherie

Cherie; the USCG helos are usually painted all orange (the MH-65 Dolphins) or all white with orange day-glow (the HH-60 Jayhawks). To celebrate the Coast Guard Aviation's centennial in 2016, several aircraft were painted yellow to represent the chrome yellow paint scheme that Coast Guard and Navy helicopters used in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Jayhawk from CGAS San Diego that performed the rescue off Oosterdam in Dec 2017 was such a "yellow aircraft"

Copper 10-8 - When you get a chance can you tell me the difference between the orange and yellow USCG helicopters? I am very familiar with the orange but not the yellow. And, I am very familiar with the green Marine helicopters and can hear them coming for miles, but I have not seen the white one you show. Thanks for all the good detailed info you provide us. Cherie

The white and grey Dauphin helo in the pic is not a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft, rather belongs to the French 'Marine Nationale' (French Navy) and took part in the medevac of a crew member on HAL's Statendam off Tahiti, back in Oct 2013. "Marine" in French means Navy ;)

Thank you!!!! I love the Centennial patch that shows both the orange and white helos. I appreciate you taking the time to "educate" me. I volunteer at a location where I met some French helo pilots who were in the States training. Thanks for clarifying the French Marine white/gray as opposed to the USCG. And...you probably hear this often, but...thanks for your service. Cherie

Thanks Cherie!

As stated before, it takes skill and professionalism by these pilots; Medevac off Noordam on 29 Mar 2015 by USCG HH-60J Jayhawk from CGAS Clearwater, Fl in the Old Bahama Channel

Great photos. The Jayhawk is so different from the French Dauphin, the Dauphin doesn't look like it makes half as much noise as the Jayhawk:D So nice to have allies that support us in these situations!!! Thanks again for helping me understand, Cherie

The only thing I'd add to John's description is that the flight surgeon at the RCC has a lot of voice in whether or not an evacutation happens.

The only thing I'd add to John's description is that the flight surgeon at the RCC has a lot of voice in whether or not an evacutation happens.

I'm sure most people know, but what is the RCC? I assume it is the location of the incident but not sure. Really activating my brain today with learning new things. Thanks Copper10-8 and chengkp75. Cherie

Thank you, Copper, for your detailed and very informative description and the amazing pictures! Yes, hats off to these incredible people involved in these rescues! God Bless them!

I'm sure most people know, but what is the RCC? I assume it is the location of the incident but not sure. Really activating my brain today with learning new things. Thanks Copper10-8 and chengkp75. Cherie

Rescue Coordination Center

Thanks for the description of the process, Copper. It certainly is complicated and involves a lot of crew members and a lot of coordination of efforts. I thought about the light strings, but hadn't thought about all the movable furniture and other bits that had to be secured or removed. And since it was on the aft deck, that was a lot of loungers to be moved. I think they used the little deck area above the pool deck. We didn't go outside, but we could see the helicopter approach and it sounded like it was right over our cabin.

On K'dam, the day started with a request for blood donors for a critically ill patient. A few hours later, I could feel the ship change, and when I looked at the wake I could see that we were going faster. I checked the navigation info and we were doing 21 knots. I figured we were either trying to get to somewhere in the Bahamas (closest land) or to get close enough to the US to be in helicopter range.

After the helicopter did a few circles above us, we turned eastward (ENE) and stayed on that heading until it was all over . You confirmed my guess, that it was the best direction for wind conditions.

The only thing I'd add to John's description is that the flight surgeon at the RCC has a lot of voice in whether or not an evacutation happens.

Thanks Cheng! He/she (flt surgeon) can indeed make it happen or turn it down