On Sunday afternoon, June 24, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was tasked by Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria to assist a Canadian Coast Guard ship with a medevac of a patient involved in a boating accident.
The patient was the operator of a small vessel that ran aground at Bligh Island, Nootka Sound, suffering serious injuries requiring transfer to a hospital.
The patient was rescued on scene by the crew of Canadian Coast Guard Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) Nootka and subsequently transferred to Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) M. Charles.
A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter was tasked to respond. On arrival at the CCGS M. Charles, two SAR Techs were lowered to the ship to prepare the patient for transfer. The patient was subsequently hoisted to the helicopter.
The patient was transported by Cormorant to Victoria General Hospital. No further updates on the condition of the patient were available.
442 Transport and Rescue Squadron’s Cormorant and Buffalo aircraft are the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre’s (JRCC) primary means for aviation and marine SAR responses in the Victoria Search and Rescue Region (SRR). These aircraft and their highly trained crews are ready to respond to search and rescue missions on a 24-hour basis.
The Victoria SRR includes 1.4 million square kilometres of mainly mountainous terrain in British Columbia and the Yukon, extending approximately 600 nautical miles offshore into the Pacific Ocean. Given the size and complexity of this SRR, SAR crews operating in this region are highly skilled and ready to confront the challenges of this region in order to save lives.
