VANCOUVER — The Royal Canadian Air Force was called to action Friday evening, when their search and rescue team helped a crew person in medical distress evacuate a freighter off the west coast of Sandspit.
The call came into the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria from a bulk freighter, saying a crewman on board needed medical attention.
A plane and helicopter were launched from Comox and met with the freighter, which was 300 km from the shore. The plane directed the freighter’s course and speed while the helicopter crew reached the vessel.
Through mist and strong winds, search and rescue technicians were lifted from the helicopter to the freighter.
“We hoisted 50 feet to the deck of the ship. We put the patient into a litter and the Flight Engineer hoisted him into the Cormorant. We provided care throughout the flight back to Sandspit,” said Sgt. Eric Dinn, a SAR technician, in a prepared statement.
From Sandspit, the patient was flown to Comox and then taken to a local hospital, where he is in stable condition.
The Victoria search and rescue region includes 920,000 km of mountainous terrain in B.C. and the Yukon and extends 600 nautical miles offshore into the Pacific Ocean.
Comments