Soldiers and airmen assigned to the Alaska National Guard executed four missions to save four people in the Alaska wilderness before the July Fourth holiday weekend.
Air Force Maj. Kody Schmidt, Alaska Rescue Coordination Center senior controller, said the first mission started following a request July 2 from the Alaska State Troopers for a hoist-capable helicopter to rescue a critically ill patient from a remote residence on the Kantishna River west of Cantwell, Alaska.
The 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, sent an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter and a HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, each carrying pararescuers.
The helicopter special missions aviator hoisted the guardsmen to a spot near the residence, where they made contact with the patient before hoisting everyone into the helicopter for transport to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Later that same day, another mission came in with a request from the National Park Service to medically evacuate a critically ill patient from a remote cabin north of Mount McKinley.
In a similar fashion to the first mission, the helicopter hoisted the airmen near the cabin and then hoisted out the patient for evacuation to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska.
During both missions, the HC-130J provided air-to-air refueling to extend the helicopter’s range to reach deep into the interior of Alaska.
Also July 2, a request from the state troopers was received to rescue a stranded hiker who had sent an emergency signal on a satellite communication device on Matanuska Peak in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains.
Air Force Capt. Cody McKinney, 207th Aviation Troop Company operations officer, said the Alaska Army National Guard dispatched an HH-60M Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter.
The Black Hawk crew chief performed a dynamic hoist of the flight medic to contact the hiker, then hoisted both of them into the helicopter for transport to the Palmer Municipal Airport in Palmer, Alaska. During a dynamic hoist, the crew chief lowers the flight medic as the helicopter approaches the patient, preventing spinning and oscillation while decreasing the time required for extraction.
The final mission began July 3 when the National Guard received a request from state troopers to rescue a hiker near Gulkana, Alaska, who was experiencing chest pain.
A Black Hawk crew located the hiker, treated the hiker on site, and hoisted them into the helicopter for transport to Providence Alaska Medical Center.
Schmidt underlined the importance of carrying a satellite communication device when going into the Alaskan wilderness, where cellphone coverage is often unavailable.
The rescue missions involved six aircraft and totaled nearly 21 hours of flying time in less than two days.