Rescue crews from 19 Wing Comox completed back-to-back medical evacuations this week, beginning with airlifting a patient to safety in seas up to five metres off Haida Gwaii
The first call for 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron came Monday afternoon from Victoria’s Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre. A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and CC-115 Buffalo aircraft were dispatched to transport someone from a ship for medical treatment in Queen Charlotte City.
Capt. John McSheffrey, the cormorant’s air-crew commander, said the ship needing the medevac was about 380 kilometres from Sandspit when the rescuers arrived.
The ship was a bulk carrier that had most recently come from Vancouver.
“The weather was poor with 300-foot ceilings, less than a mile of visibility and four- to five-metre seas with 55 to 70 km/h winds,” McSheffrey said. “The conditions were challenging and we could see the waves breaking over the front of the vessel.”
The transfer to Queen Charlotte City went as planned.
“Overall, the mission was a success,” McSheffrey said.
A second call from the Joint Co-ordination Centre came later that afternoon, sending another crew to deal with a patient needing to be removed from a vessel near Cape Scott at the tip of Vancouver Island.
Bad weather kept the crew from meeting the ship until Tuesday morning, also with a Cormorant and a Buffalo aircraft. The rescue was described as smooth and successful, with the patient being safely taken to Courtenay.
The reason for the evacuations was not disclosed due to privacy considerations. Both patients were airlifted to safety from the vessels.
