- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 360
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/516709.html
Parachuting paramedics come to fisherman’s aid
By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter
ADVERTISEMENT
A fisherman is in hospital with severe burns after a dramatic ocean rescue off Nova Scotia over the weekend.
Officials at the search and rescue centre in Halifax received a call at about 8:45 p.m. Saturday that a 39-year-old crewman on board the Sambro-based Clouston had been burned while working on the ship’s refrigeration unit.
At the time, the 30-metre vessel was in waters about 390 kilometres south of Halifax, in dense fog with night falling.
"The man was in a lot of pain — severe injuries," said Dave Lever, a Canadian Coast Guard marine controller at the rescue centre.
The ship was told to begin steaming for Halifax and a military Hercules aircraft with paramedics on board was dispatched. The ship was too far offshore at the time for the man to be airlifted and conditions were worsening, Mr. Lever said.
The military paramedics, known as search and rescue technicians, are trained in diving, first aid and mountain climbing, said Defence Department spokesman Mike Bonin.
"They are like the MacGyver of the military . . . very able to carry on a wide variety of taskings using limited resources."
Just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, with the boat still more than 330 kilometres off Halifax, two paramedics were dumped into the ocean using special steerable parachutes in a low-level drop near the boat.
The pair dropped into calm seas and were picked up by the Clouston.
Sunday morning broke with heavy fog conditions still offshore. Rescuers had to wait for the skies to clear before a navy Sea King helicopter was able to airlift the paramedics and the injured man off the ship, Mr. Lever said.
The ship was about 150 kilometres south of Halifax when the chopper was finally able to make the airlift at 1 p.m.
The helicopter landed at Shearwater after 2:15 p.m. The man was transferred to ambulance and taken to hospital.
Sea Kings have been called into search and rescue duty while the navy’s Cormorant helicopters are flying under restrictions. Sea Kings can’t fly the same distance as Cormorants, Mr. Bonin said. But fog rather than the Sea King was responsible for the man not being airlifted sooner, he said.
On Thursday, a Cormorant plunged into waters off Canso, killing three crewmen. The chopper was involved in a routine exercise to practise hoisting people off a fishing vessel.
Two flight engineers and a search and rescue technician died in the accident.
( [email protected])
Parachuting paramedics come to fisherman’s aid
By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter
ADVERTISEMENT
A fisherman is in hospital with severe burns after a dramatic ocean rescue off Nova Scotia over the weekend.
Officials at the search and rescue centre in Halifax received a call at about 8:45 p.m. Saturday that a 39-year-old crewman on board the Sambro-based Clouston had been burned while working on the ship’s refrigeration unit.
At the time, the 30-metre vessel was in waters about 390 kilometres south of Halifax, in dense fog with night falling.
"The man was in a lot of pain — severe injuries," said Dave Lever, a Canadian Coast Guard marine controller at the rescue centre.
The ship was told to begin steaming for Halifax and a military Hercules aircraft with paramedics on board was dispatched. The ship was too far offshore at the time for the man to be airlifted and conditions were worsening, Mr. Lever said.
The military paramedics, known as search and rescue technicians, are trained in diving, first aid and mountain climbing, said Defence Department spokesman Mike Bonin.
"They are like the MacGyver of the military . . . very able to carry on a wide variety of taskings using limited resources."
Just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, with the boat still more than 330 kilometres off Halifax, two paramedics were dumped into the ocean using special steerable parachutes in a low-level drop near the boat.
The pair dropped into calm seas and were picked up by the Clouston.
Sunday morning broke with heavy fog conditions still offshore. Rescuers had to wait for the skies to clear before a navy Sea King helicopter was able to airlift the paramedics and the injured man off the ship, Mr. Lever said.
The ship was about 150 kilometres south of Halifax when the chopper was finally able to make the airlift at 1 p.m.
The helicopter landed at Shearwater after 2:15 p.m. The man was transferred to ambulance and taken to hospital.
Sea Kings have been called into search and rescue duty while the navy’s Cormorant helicopters are flying under restrictions. Sea Kings can’t fly the same distance as Cormorants, Mr. Bonin said. But fog rather than the Sea King was responsible for the man not being airlifted sooner, he said.
On Thursday, a Cormorant plunged into waters off Canso, killing three crewmen. The chopper was involved in a routine exercise to practise hoisting people off a fishing vessel.
Two flight engineers and a search and rescue technician died in the accident.
( [email protected])
