|
<<
back to news index
January
1, 2010
NVGs
Play Key Role in KY-10 Successful Search and Rescue Mission
 The
AMKY KY-10 (Grayson) base recently completed a successful search and
rescue mission with the assistance
of the
crew’s cutting-edge Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).
On
December 7 with temperatures in the teens at 00:30 hours, KY-10 pilot Mike
Ojeda was contacted by LifeCom to assist in a three-county search of a
lost person involving Emergency Service Agencies from Carter, Lewis, and
Fleming
Counties
in
Kentucky
. These agencies had been conducting a ground search for approximately
four hours over these counties and had narrowed it down to a 10-mile area;
this area mainly consisted of heavily-wooded mountainous terrain.
Due
to the terrain, the agencies had exhausted all of their efforts to locate
the subject. At this time it was decided by command to call in KY-10 for
assistance, knowing we had NVGs to assist in the search. The subject they
were searching for was traveling from
West Virginia
to
Flemingsburg,
Ky.
, and reportedly had had trouble with her GPS turning onto a
non-maintained road. While
attempting to get turned around, the vehicle became stuck. Fortunately she
was on a hilltop and did have cell phone service to call 911.
After
calling 911 she was able to get her GPS to bring up the coordinates, which
showed her original position to be in
Carter
County
. After a search of that area turned up nothing, the agencies were then
able to convert the GPS coordinates to get a better location, which ended
up being in the Fleming/Lewis County area.
After determining this closer location, emergency crews searched
all roads in that area but had no success. At this time, the subject was
running very low on gas and temperatures were reported to be 15 degrees.
Upon
arriving in the area we made radio contact with Incident Command and
received a briefing of the area. At this time a LifeCom dispatcher was
currently on the phone with the missing subject so that if she was able to
see us LifeCom could advise of her general location. After making a recon
of the area, the crew spotted the subject’s vehicle and LifeCom advised
the aircraft was directly over the vehicle and she could hear the
helicopter. We then attempted to find the entrance to the road she turned
on, but as this was a very thick wooded area we were unsuccessful in doing
this.
Due
to the heavily-wooded nature of the area, the strategy was to direct
ground personnel as close as possible by vehicle. Crews were able to get
within about 200 yards, at which point they proceeded into the woods by
foot with the aircraft directing from the air.
Within about 20 minutes rescue crews were able to reach the subject
and determined she was ok and medical service wasn’t needed. KY-10 then
returned to base.
The
mission was a success and clearly shows the benefits of Night Vision
Goggles. The crew does not believe the subject could have been located
without this equipment. With the NVGs they were able to not only find the
lost subject, but were also able to remain safe at all times while
conducting the mission in the dark rural terrain.
Information and photo courtesy
Chad Binion
___________________________
About
Air Methods Kentucky
Air
Methods Kentucky is a full-service air medical transport system covering
Kentucky and southern Indiana.
Founded in 1982 as the first civilian air medical program in Kentucky,
in 1995 it became the first air medical program in the state to earn
CAMTS (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems)
accreditation. It operates 10 helicopter ambulances and one
fixed wing ambulance throughout its region, with state offices
headquartered in Lexington. With a mission of safety, quality, and
integrity, Air Methods Kentucky is committed to providing its patients
and medical and emergency service partners with a high level of care and
professionalism. For more information about Air Methods Kentucky,
visit http://www.airmethodsky.com.
About
Air Methods Corporation
Air
Methods Kentucky is owned by Air Methods Corporation (NASDAQ:
AIRM),
the nation’s largest
provider of air medical emergency transport services and systems. The company is dedicated exclusively to air medical transport,
focusing on the quality of care to patients, and safety in
aviation operations. With 27 years of experience, the company transports more than
84,000 patients annually who require intensive medical care from
either the scene of an accident or general care hospitals to
highly skilled trauma centers or tertiary care centers. For
more information about Air Methods Corporation, visit http://www.airmethods.com.
|
