Photo courtesy of Captain Ben Collin, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron.

Comox rescue squadron flies through poor weather to rescue ill patient near Port Hardy

The fog turned out to be no match for the squadron's skilled search and rescue technicians

  • Jun. 3, 2021 12:00 a.m.

442 Transport and Rescue Squadron from 19 Wing Comox braved some seriously foggy conditions while on a rescue mission near Port Hardy.

“When a member of an offshore research vessel became ill, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was tasked to extract the patient yesterday [May 31],” stated a post from the Maritime Forces Pacific Facebook page. “Our CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and CC-115 Buffalo crews were lucky to have a relatively calm sea state about 200 nautical miles west of Port Hardy, albeit with foggy conditions.”

The fog turned out to be no match for the squadron’s skilled search and rescue technicians, who were able to hoist down to the vessel securely and then transport the patient back to Victoria where local emergency personnel took over.

RELATED: Comox rescue squadron carries out two rescue missions off northern Vancouver Island

“Of note was the smooth transition of the patient that happened from the Cormorant to the Buffalo at Port Hardy, due to the Cormorant requiring refueling and the Buffalo using its larger fuel capacity to transport the patient straight to the waiting BC Ambulance crew in Victoria,” added the Facebook post.

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