Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
On Tue, 07 Oct 1997 06:11:52 -0400, mrlungs@ak*.ne* wrote: >At 07:38 AM 10/6/97 +0800, you wrote: >>On Mon, 6 Oct 1997 09:32:54 -0400, Wrolf.Courtney@do*.co* >>wrote: >>> >>>Hi: >>> >>>I have had conflicting information about the procedure for helicopter >>>evacuation from boats. >>> >>>One set of people (who I trust) tell me that the boat has to let go the >>>anchor and get underway. They told me that >>>if not, then the downdraft from the helicopter just keeps blowing the boat >>>to one side. >>> >>>The other set (who I also trust) tells me not. >>> >>>Thanks in advance, >>> >>>Wrolf >> >>Wrolf, I have never seen nor heard of this. Helicopter evacuations are >>used in serious medical emergencies when evacuation by FRC is >>unsuitable. Time is critical in these applications. If a boat is at >>anchor, it will assume a natural position head to wind. If it is lying >>ahull, it will assume a natural position (usually beam on) to the wind. >> Either way, the boat's attitude is usually fixed due to wind and >>current conditions, unless there exists a heavy sea. The helicopter >>must make its approach head to wind, in order to keep station while (in >>Canada) a DND Sar Tech is lowered on a wire to either confirm or >>conduct patient stabilization, followed by a basket stretcher, into >>which the patient is secured and hoisted, then the wire comes down >>again to recover the Sar Tech. While it is true that the downdraft >>from the SAR helicopters can be considerable, especially on the >>Labradors that a ground crew must lean into to avoid being blown over >>during a landing, the effects that this might have on a small boat are >>irrelevant, since in a SAR situation the equipment MUST perform to task >>in any situation, including heavy weather where the boat may be getting >>tossed around. This is just common sense stuff. >> >>Hope this answers your question. >> >>-Sean > >Wrolf & Sean > >Operating Procedure for the USCG are as follows. > >If they are sending a chopper, it means that you are more than 25 miles of >the coast or this person is about dead (blue looking). Normally your going >to be in a full run back to the hill to get this person off the boat ASAP!!. > >So this will mean that most boats run 14 to 30 knots. You will contact >USCG on channel 16a on VHF, and for this area and most of the US coast, >once contact is made, they switch you to 22a. The chopper is also going to >contact you once they are 10min out from your location. They are going to >ask for long and lat, your heading and your speed. They will also request >that you clear your deck of all loose gear, lower you outriggers and put >radio antenias forward. Once all of this is worked out and the information >returned, they will make their approach off the stern of the boat (seas and >wind directions are not a big factor, except if in large swells if in large >swells they are going to have you put it into the seas for your saftey). >They will lower a SAR Diver via the basket, as the basket is coming down, >they are going to tell you not to touch the basket untill it is on the deck >(static elect will kick you like a mule!!). The SAR diver will eval the >patient, load him/her into the basket, raise the patient up, and then make >another drop to get the SAR diver. They fly back to land and drop the patient. > >It is true that with a boat on the hook, it makes it much more difficut for >the chopper pilot, due to the fact that the boat will move all over the >place from the prop wash. USCG prefers that you be underway for pick ups >off of a small boat. > >For larger ships they can be on the hook or underway. Due to their large >mass, the prop wash doesn't effect them as much. > >jeff >Respiratoy Therpist Since I am not directly involved with helicopter SAR operations, apart from patient transfers and takeoff / landing ops (I work off boats), I can only relay what I have seen in my own experience. Jeff's commentary on the USCG procedures is probably akin to Canadian ops, but I will check with the DND SAR squadron in Comox to get the actual information, and post it to techdiver. -Sean -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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