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442 Squadron medevacs injured fisherman at Graham Island

442 Squadron medevacs injured fisherman at Graham Island
13154921_web1_180815-CVR-M-4---SAR-at-Port-Louis---Graham-Island---Patient-being-hoisted---14-Aug-2018---19-Wing-Public-Affairs-Photo
SAR at Port Louis - Graham Island - Patient being hoisted. 19 Wing Public Affairs

On Tuesday, Aug. 14, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was tasked by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria to medevac a fisherman from a commercial fishing vessel west of Graham Island.

The patient was a fisherman requiring medical care due to injuries sustained in a fall on the vessel. A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter from CFB Comox was tasked to respond.

The vessel was at anchor in sheltered water at the time of the rescue. Three SAR Techs were lowered to the deck of the fishing vessel to provide care and prepare the patient for transfer to the CH-149 Cormorant. The patient was subsequently hoisted to the helicopter.

The patient was transported to the Village of Queen Charlotte and transferred to Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre by the BC Ambulance Service.

442 Transport and Rescue Squadron’s Cormorant and Buffalo aircraft are the Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre’s (JRCC) primary means for aviation and marine SAR responses in the Victoria Search and Rescue Region (SRR). These aircraft and their highly trained crews are ready to respond to search and rescue missions on a 24-hour basis.

The Victoria SRR includes 1.4 million square kilometres of mainly mountainous terrain in British Columbia and the Yukon, extending approximately 600 nautical miles offshore into the Pacific Ocean.

Given the size and complexity of this SRR, SAR crews operating in this region are highly skilled and ready to confront the challenges of this region in order to save lives