by Geoff Fox
Troopers from the Maryland State Police Aviation Command performed an aerial hoist rescue on an injured person in the Flintstone area on Saturday, November 8.
According to Maryland State Police, around 12:30 p.m., rescue personnel from Allegany County were dispatched to Green Ridge State Forest for an injured person who fell approximately 15 feet from a tree stand.
Due to the victim’s extended extraction time and the nature of the injuries, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was requested to perform an aerial hoist rescue.
Police said SYSCOM dispatched Trooper 5, which is based in Cumberland, to the scene.
Emergency medical services and rescue personnel maintained patient care during ground operations and assisted with the packaging of the patient.
A Trooper/Rescue Technician was lowered down to the scene into a clearing in the dense tree coverage where the victim was locate, police said.
An assessment was performed and the patient was prepared for aerial extraction via a patient extrication platform device.
Police said as Trooper 5 was hovering over the wooded area of Green Ridge State Forest, pilots maneuvered the helicopter into a stead 125-foot hover and successfully hoisted the victim into the helicopter.
Once the patient was safely in the aircraft, the flight crew was able to transition into the medical evacuation role and transported the victim directly to a local hospital for further assessment and treatment.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command staffs each helicopter with two pilots and two state trooper/medical clinicians. The MSPAC has served since 1970 and operates a fleet of 10 AW139 helicopters from seven bases in Maryland. Each aircraft provides round-the-clock coverage to Maryland residents and visitors. The agency’s missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of the aerial rescues and all missions performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on monthly, quarterly, and annual proficiency training and is a cooperative effort with allied agencies and our partners at the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Park Police.
