# SAR does us proud, again



## Edward Campbell (17 Dec 2013)

There is a HUGE fire raging in downtown Kingston and a SAR helicopter from Trenton plucked a crane operator from his boom, high above the fire.

I'm guessing flying into a fire is not easy ...  

Edit to add another picture:


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## PuckChaser (17 Dec 2013)

Very busy area, lots of buildings. Lucky that crane didn't come down, flames at one point had engulfed the crane operator's cab.

BZ to the SAR crew, they arrived 25 mins before the estimated ETA.


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## KerryBlue (17 Dec 2013)

KINGSTON, Ont. — A massive fire in Kingston left a crane operator trapped high above the flames as firefighters attempt to battle the blaze. The man was saved in a daring helicopter rescue.

More at link.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/17/kingston-fire-traps-operator-on-edge-of-crane-as-massive-inferno-rages-below/

Pretty crazy stuff, a bunch of my friends at Queens have been posting pictures on facebook and twitter and the fire appears huge. Looks like a SAR CH-146 from Trenton.


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## pbi (17 Dec 2013)

A massive structure broke out 1400 today, just on the edge of downtown in a three  story student apartment building under construction. Kingston Fire struck a general alarm but was unable to stop the entire building from becoming involved very quickly. The tower crane operator was trapped out at the far tip of the crane boom where he climbed to escape the flame and smoke.  Propane tanks were reported to be exploding inside the building.

As the crane is above the reach of KFR's aerials, 424 Sqn in Trenton was called in, and just a little while ago they plucked the crane operator off the tip of the boom. The fire is still burning: one of the biggest in Kingston's recent history.

BZ 424 Sqn!


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## The Bread Guy (17 Dec 2013)

And here's another picture from The Canadian Press's Lars Hagberg




Well done everyone involved!


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## OldSolduer (17 Dec 2013)

Crazy insane flying. 

Although I am not a pilot or even remotely know much about aerodynamics etc it must have been a challenge to keep that chopper stationary with the heat from the fire rising.


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## Humphrey Bogart (17 Dec 2013)

My house is like a block from there... luckily they contained the fire. (at least I hope  )  

BZ 424 Sqn!


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## Jungle (17 Dec 2013)

Well done to all involved !!!


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## PuckChaser (17 Dec 2013)

Thread would not be complete without a video, which you'll note is less than 3 minutes from arrival hover to rescue complete:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2687516646001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAG7aG4g~,RxvEEVUsGnnUBtSg3U3t0nkZuUHsaVGf&bctid=2943580625001


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## Sadukar09 (17 Dec 2013)

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> Thread would not be complete without a video, which you'll note is less than 3 minutes from arrival hover to rescue complete:
> 
> http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2687516646001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAG7aG4g~,RxvEEVUsGnnUBtSg3U3t0nkZuUHsaVGf&bctid=2943580625001



Shows exactly how well trained our SAR guys are!


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## brihard (17 Dec 2013)

Wow. Crazy seeing something like this from the ol' home town. Slick rescue. BZ 424! Hopefully the pilot and crew see some recognition for this one.


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## ComDvr13 (17 Dec 2013)

What a sexy helicopter. I love   

Pretty inspiring story/clips, thanks for the share guys!


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## Nfld Sapper (17 Dec 2013)

BZ to 424 SQN!


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## Shamrock (17 Dec 2013)

Brihard said:
			
		

> Wow. Crazy seeing something like this from the ol' home town. Slick rescue. BZ 424! Hopefully the pilot and crew see some recognition for this one.



Tack it on to their Christmas Leave


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## Zoomie (17 Dec 2013)

Brihard said:
			
		

> Hopefully the pilot and crew see some recognition for this one.


They sure will!  After 12 years of service they will be presented the CD.  Ten short years later, they will be further acknowledged by a small rosette being pinned to that ribbon.


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## Strike (17 Dec 2013)

Brihard said:
			
		

> Hopefully the pilot and crew see some recognition for this one.



Well, they made national news!

Can't get over this.  It's a block and a half from where I used to live.  Friend of mine is 5 blocks away, only a block from the evacuation zone.


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## Occam (18 Dec 2013)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

>



Those buildings have a design and colour scheme that looks remarkably like that of the old PMQs in Shannon Park in Dartmouth NS.  Are/were the buildings in Kingston in the photo PMQs?

That was quite the rescue.  BZ!


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## 211RadOp (18 Dec 2013)

Occam, that is the Legion Villa right next door to the fire.  Kingston Fire did a great job of containing it as there is also a gas station right across the street and the wind was blowing in that direction.


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## pbi (18 Dec 2013)

It's still smouldering this AM at 0530 when I went by on way to gym. KF&R is still on the scene and probably will be for a while. The area around the site is off limits and Princess St. is closed at Confusion Corner because of the fear that the crane's pedestal may have been weakened by the fire.

I passed it yesterday on my way home from work, about 30 mins after the first alarm was struck. KF&R was there with just about everything that they have: Gananoque and South Frontenac FDs were just arriving as I drove by on Brock St, one block over.

I have never, ever, seen anything like it: it was an inferno. Hats off to the firefighters who tackled that one. It was a monster: a big four storey wooden frame apartment building under construction, a good city block long, just totally engulfed and roaring.

It was a very complicated fire scene: a busy street in an older, fairly dense residential and commercial district with a gas station right across the street, a retirement home right beside the involved structure, and homes, businesses and a motel immediately adjacent. From what I could tell, the fire spread so fast that the firefighting operation had to be defensive for quite a while until the structure burned down some and then collapsed. There was also a fear of either natural gas or propane explosion.

The City emergency management plan seems to have gone well: the area was evacuated, including the senior's home and a public school, and an emergency shelter was set up at the Olympic Harbour Centre. KF&R, the mutual aid FDs, KPF, transit, utilities, Red Cross, etc all seem to have done a fantastic job. 

The save by the 424 Griffon crew and the SAR tech was unbelievable: the stuff of movies. If there had been a gas explosion or flare-up in the structure below, the aircraft would have been in danger. Amazing work.

And amazingly, not one injury!

Bless them all.


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## YZT580 (18 Dec 2013)

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> Thread would not be complete without a video, which you'll note is less than 3 minutes from arrival hover to rescue complete:
> 
> http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2687516646001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAG7aG4g~,RxvEEVUsGnnUBtSg3U3t0nkZuUHsaVGf&bctid=2943580625001


So, would you want to hang around any longer than that in a fire.  Heck, with the door open the a/c wouldn't have worked.  Seriously though 3 minutes is a long time to hang around over a fire.  I suspect that the air was both foul and turbulent.  Good flying.


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## Eye In The Sky (18 Dec 2013)

RCAF Facebook Page picture/story.


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## PuckChaser (18 Dec 2013)

YZT580 said:
			
		

> So, would you want to hang around any longer than that in a fire.  Heck, with the door open the a/c wouldn't have worked.  Seriously though 3 minutes is a long time to hang around over a fire.  I suspect that the air was both foul and turbulent.  Good flying.



Ok, so maybe you missed it, but I was pointing out how amazingly fast they were in and out safely.


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## Strike (18 Dec 2013)

YZT580 said:
			
		

> Heck, with the door open the a/c wouldn't have worked.



A/C?   ???

Anyway, don't know if I would have wanted to hover 200 some odd feet in the air with n close references to go on.  Talk about awesome CRM!


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## TangoTwoBravo (19 Dec 2013)

Amazing flying, and I am also very impressed with the fast interagency coordination that brought it together.


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