During the early evening of April 13, 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Comox was tasked by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria on a mission to medevac a crew member of a commercial fishing vessel requiring transport to hospital for immediate care.
The vessel was approximately 150 nautical miles (280 km) west of Haida Gwaii at the time of the call for assistance. A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-115 Buffalo were tasked to respond.
Arriving on scene in late evening just before dark, SAR Techs were lowered onto the deck of the fishing vessel, the patient was assessed, prepared for transport, and hoisted into the Cormorant.
The patient was transported by Cormorant to Haida Gwaii Hospital in Queen Charlotte City for ongoing care, arriving at approximately 11 p.m.
The aircraft returned to Comox at approximately 3 a.m., April 14. The patient’s medical condition cannot be disclosed, but is not job-related.
442 Transport and Rescue Squadron’s Cormorant and Buffalo aircraft are the JRCC’s 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.
