Whidbey Island SAR Rescues Hiker in Okanogan County > United States Navy > News Tales

The NAS Whidbey Island SAR group launched round 6:40 Sunday night to answer a hiker affected by a warmth associated situation on the Windy Creek Path at an elevation of roughly 5,500 ft. The SAR crew arrived on the Windy Creek trailhead simply after 7:30 p.m. and noticed the ailing man’s occasion on a slope with sparse tree protection and a few useless bushes from a earlier wildfire.

 

The SAR crew determined to insert rescue personnel about 50 meters down path from the group’s location to keep away from rotor wash on the affected person and potential brown out circumstances.

 

The SAR group have been in a position to hoist the affected person aboard and ship him to St. Joseph’s Medical Middle in Bellingham the place they landed simply earlier than 8:45 p.m.

 

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has carried out 26 missions this calendar yr, which incorporates 1 MEDEVAC, 4 searches and 21 rescues.

The Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60S helicopters from NAS Whidbey Island as search and rescue/medical evacuation (SAR/MEDEVAC) platforms for the EA-18G plane in addition to different squadrons and personnel assigned to the set up. Pursuant to the Nationwide SAR Plan of america, the unit can also be used for civil SAR/MEDEVAC must the fullest extent practicable on a non-interference foundation with major army duties in line with relevant nationwide directives, plans, pointers and agreements; particularly, the unit might launch in response to tasking by the Air Drive Rescue Coordination Middle (based mostly on a Washington State Memorandum of Understanding) for inland missions, and/or tasking by america Coast Guard for all different aeronautical and maritime areas, when different property are unavailable.