On Wednesday, Aug. 15, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was tasked by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria to medevac a passenger from a cruise ship south-west of Haida Gwaii.
The patient had developed a medical condition requiring urgent hospital care. The captain of the ship requested a medevac due to the distance and travel time to the nearest port.
A Cormorant helicopter and Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft were tasked to respond. It was dusk, with failing light, as the aircraft reached the cruise ship. Two SAR Techs were lowered to the helicopter deck to prepare the patient for transfer to the Cormorant.
As it became dark, the crew used night vision goggles as the patient was hoisted to the helicopter. The patient was transported to Comox, then transferred to North Island Hospital by the BC Ambulance Service.
442 Squadron’s Cormorant and Buffalo aircraft are the JRCC’s 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 B.C. and the Yukon, extending approximately 600 nautical miles offshore into the Pacific Ocean. Given the size and complexity of the area, SAR crews operating in this region are highly skilled and ready to confront the challenges of this region in order to save lives.