medical evac fro westerdam

[Typhoon1]

I am sure the passenger was given the best available care.

 

We can only hope for a positive outcome.

[Copper10-8]

Female rescue swimmers

The Coast Guard and Navy are the only branches that allow women to serve as rescue swimmers. However, only three women are presently qualified in the Coast Guard, and women must meet the same physical, endurance, and performance standards as men in order to earn a qualification as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. They, along with a few females who reportedly passed a modified selection course for the US Army's Delta Force during the 1990's and any who qualify as Navy divers, and EOD technicians, are currently the only women allowed in the United States military's Special Operations forces.

The first female Navy rescue swimmer was Catherine Elliott (Rizzo) HMC (AC) USN Ret. she was also the very first woman to graduate from Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron in Jacksonville, Fl. and become a rescue swimmer on December 16, 1983. Elliott completed this grueling school and flew Search and Rescue missions up until her retirement in 1995. She received many awards for rescues and even completed one ground rescue while 3 months pregnant.[1]

The first female Coast Guard rescue swimmer was Kelly Mogk (later Larson), who joined the Coast Guard in 1984 and later became the first woman to complete Navy Rescue Swimmer School on May 23, 1986

 

Thanks Hamop, for doing the research

The Westerdam medevac the OP/luvflorida is referring to here was most likely performed by crews from Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron based at CFB Comox on the north-east side of Vancouver Island, BC. They fly the Augusta-Westland CH-149 Cormorant

Here's a prety good clip about what they do 24/7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtvGObfOrLo&feature=related

[luvflorida]

I think the captain said that they were turning back to meet the coast guard helicopter from Port Hardy B.C. From Port Hardy they were taking her to Vancouver by Lear jet. We had to turn back south and east to be in range of the helicopter. Does that make sense Copper10-8? Anyway, a great job by all involved.

[Copper10-8]

I think the captain said that they were turning back to meet the coast guard helicopter from Port Hardy B.C. From Port Hardy they were taking her to Vancouver by Lear jet. We had to turn back south and east to be in range of the helicopter. Does that make sense Copper10-8? Anyway, a great job by all involved.

 

Affirm; sounds like Westerdam, like you said, needed to get within range of the helicopter. Remaining fuel for the helo, after orbitting and hovering to get the medevac successfuly completed, to be able to get back to the primary or back-up landing site, is a big thing;)

On the video involving the Ryndam, towards the end, you can hear the pilot talking about "there's bingo". He's talking about minimums left in fuel to make it back to a landing spot ashore

[AZWTRLVR]

Several years ago my DD and SIL were embarking on a Circle Hawaii cruise. One of the passengers fell and hit his head, apparently as a result of a heart attack. The ship was still in evacuation range and the gentleman was airlifted back to San Diego. Unfortunately his wife could not accompany him and had to remain on the ship. During the time it took to reach Hawaii the gentleman died.

 

Now my point of the post...during the four days at sea HAL personnel and the Chaplain took care of the wife. They helped her pack out her cabin in preparation for disembarking. In the meantime HAL flew her son to Hawaii where he was waiting for her when the ship docked. HAL then flew both of them back to the mainland.

 

I imagine Copper can speak to this but I understand HAL has personnel whose job is to assist passengers in emergencies. Last year I mentioned to someone in Ship's Services that we didn't sail to Mexico any more since we didn't want to risk DH possibly having to leave the ship for medical reasons. Not only questionable care but it might leave me stranded by myself in Mexico. The person I was speaking with assured me that HAL would have someone there to help and guide me. I would not be alone in a foreign country.

 

Kudos to HAL!

[slabeaume]

Seems like every cruise I've been on has had some kind of emergency with passenger(s). On 1 of our Alaska cruises our viewing at Marjorie glacier was extended for an evac. Never did hear what happened to the passenger. On another Alaska cruise someone fell by the pool and had to have surgery in Juneau. The worst episode, though, was when my Dad "attempted drowning" (as he called it) at Castaway Cay. At first they said a heli was coming, then they said it was out of range. So we pushed off as usual. At sea, we met up with a tug boat. My dad was intubated and unconscious shortly after he was brought into the ship infirmary. He was put in a rescue basket and handed across to someone in the tug. The rest of us hopped over. The tug took us to Grand BAhamas where we met with a medijet ambulance and were flown over to Ft. Lauderdale. Finally making it to the hospital 9 hours after the initial accident. I'm sure the others on the excursion were concerned. Don't know if they were ever told what happened, but I certainly wouldn't have minded if they were told. After 5 nights in the hospital, he was released. Thankfully he had Tri Care for Life and a great medical crew on board the ship!

[akwalker]

All these operations are coordinated ..even far into the Oceans of the world by the AFRCC, the Airforce Rescue Coordination Center, and out of Hawaii tun by the Coast Guard. It functions to provide emergency action for any American needing help...almost world wide and at no cost to the victim or agency requesting the assistance.

 

How far will they go to help...maybe this operation that I observed will help you sleep at night.

 

A small sailing boat about 1000 miles south west of Honolulu with just a husband and wife aboard had an accident on board that caused the boat to take on water and seriously injure the husband with a life threatening condition. The wife gave a "mayday" call which was received at the RCC

A C-130 was launched out of Honolulu and a refueling tanker as well for the 4 hour+ one way flight. They located the boat and 2 para rescue medics parachuted into a black night and swam to the boat. A pump and salvage equipment was dropped as well, while the C130 orbited the site providing flare illumination and to relay radio transmisions. The para-rescue medics stabilized the man but he would require advanced medical treatment and fast. They also set up pumps to secure the boat. At this time a CH-53 helo is launched th the site. Due to its range limits it must be refueled several times by the tanker.

At the same time a mobil army field hospital team is mobilized in Hawaii and launched in another C130 to head to a remote Island that was only 200 miles away but had an air strip. There the set up a full scale operation suite. A US Navy destroyer now is near the area to take care of the sail boat and repair it so it can be sailed to a safe anchorage.

 

The CH 53 arrives around dawn and the patient is winched aboard and flown to the nearby atoll and the waiting Army doctors.. who 12 hours after being injured the husband undergoes full scale surgery that saves his life.

Then the C-130 with the mobil hospital the Parient and the PARA RESCUE MEN flys back to Honolulu and a Navy ambulance takes him to a civilian hospital

 

Overall 1 us Navy Destroyer, 2-C-130 aircraft, 2 -C-130 modified Tankers, 1- CH-53 helo, a 20 man army mobil field hospital with full equipment and 2-PJ Para Rescue jumpers with some guts. and 1 Navy ambulance....

Proably about $ 1,000,000 in fuel alone...nevermind the hourly cost

( a CH 53. helo cost about $5000 an hour ! then there are the 4 -C130 at about the same... medical suplies, doctors, nurses , support equipment

 

The Family was braced... but did not expect the final bill to be $ ZERO.

Its good to be an American in the greatest country in the world with the finest military.

The NAVY SAR motto says it all " So that others may Live".

So...sleep well to night... because they are out there 24/7, 365. for YOU

 

Awesome story, go Navy:D

[Zyzygy]

My wife had a ruptured brain aneurysm five years ago.

 

In one of life's blessed ironies, she suffered a "complication", in that the sudden rush of blood into her brain's ventricle caused the duct at the base of the ventricle to clog, thus ultimately allowing back pressure to build up and allowing the aneurysm to clot.

 

This "complication" allowed her to remain conscious and to have successful surgery the following day to insert miniature coils into the aneurysm to preserve the clot that closed it.

 

She had to undergo a lot of efforts to dislodge the clot in her ventricle, but that was a small price to pay for her life being saved by the "complication".

 

Ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal 60% of the time, and of the remaining 40%, half result in permanent, substantial cognitive impairment.

 

My wife has had a total recovery.

 

My prayers go out to the young woman who sustained the aneurysm, and I hope that she has been able to recover, at least to some degree.

 

Traumatic injuries to the head, such as those that may cause a subdural hematoma or subarachnoid hemorrhage, are indeed serious injuries and may be life-threatening, but a full-blown ruptured aneurysm is unfortunately an even more grave event in terms of statistical mortality and prognosis.

 

As a footnote, Vice President Joe Biden has at least one non-ruptured brain aneurysm that has been coiled as a preventative measure. His aneurysm(s) was detected during the recurring health screens he received as a U.S. senator.

[startwin]

Thanks Hamop, for doing the research

 

The Westerdam medevac the OP/luvflorida is referring to here was most likely performed by crews from Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron based at CFB Comox on the north-east side of Vancouver Island, BC. They fly the Augusta-Westland CH-149 Cormorant

 

Here's a prety good clip about what they do 24/7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtvGObfOrLo&feature=related

 

 

 

Thank you for posting that clip, Copper - they are true heroes.

[Winters in NZ]

While aboard the Zaandam repositioning last year, the excellent Captain did give us continuing information regarding a possible evacuation.

 

The Captain asked us to pray for the quite ill person, and as we did get closer to San Diego, informed us that a helicopter would not be sent to the Zaandam as the doctor on board had stabilized the crew member. Thank God for that.

 

We were extremely relieved to hear that an ambulance was ready to transport the crew member to the waiting hospital.

 

Great work and prayers all around.