Photo By Tech. Sgt. Joshua Smoot | Members from the 40th Helicopter Squadron participate in a search and rescue training...... read more read more
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MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. - A UH-1N Huey helicopter crew assigned to the 40th Helicopter Squadron here rescued an injured female hiker at approximately 5:20 a.m. on July 5th, 2015, in the Big Horn Mountain Range approximately 15 miles west of Buffalo, Wyoming.
This rescue marks the 408th save for the 40th HS.
The aircrew consisted of two pilots: Capt. Matthew Finnegan and Maj. Jeffery Miser, two special mission aviators: Staff Sgts. Ryan Oliver and Daniel Marchick, and one flight surgeon: Capt. Melonie Parmley.
The aircrew was dispatched after a rescue was requested through the Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The 40th HS was then directly contacted and the rescue mission was approved by Col. David Smith, the 582nd Helicopter Group commander at F.E. Warren AFB, which the 40th HS falls under.
"The ground team would have been too slow," said Finnegan, aircraft commander, and chief of current operations at the 40th HS. "There were no other assets to get to her before we could."
The aircrew was notified at approximately 12:15 a.m. and took off at 1:30 a.m. to rescue the female hiker who had sustained minor injuries and needed to receive emergency medical care.
Despite the early morning call, this is what the 40th HS Airmen train for.
"You kick into gear and just go," said Marchick. "When I got to the squadron, I didn't even go into the building. I just started pulling equipment and gear out of the lockers for the flight."
At 5:20 a.m., the injured woman was hoisted out of the rocky Big Horn Range and flown to Sheridan, Wyoming.
"It was a fairly tough mission for the time of night and conditions," said Finnegan. "But the crew worked well together and their training kicked-in."
At an altitude of 9,600 feet, the air becomes thinner and the blades require a higher power to perform properly, said Marchick.
"We were pushing the helicopter to its limits due to the altitude," said Marchick, who had to support the mission from a radio on the ground. "We found a field and stripped the helicopter bare. We took out the seats and extra gear and even crewmembers. Every little pound counted."
After maneuvering the helicopter into the mountain range, the aircrew encountered another obstacle.
"The concern was not smashing the flight surgeon into the side of the mountain," said Oliver, who operated the hoist to lower Parmley to the injured hiker.
The rescue site was between the steep cliffs of the mountain side, where large boulders created an unstable landing surface for the hoist operator to lower the dock down to retrieve the injured woman.
"I had to lower the flight surgeon to the rescue site with only 140 feet of cable," said Oliver. "Usually we have more cable but due to terrain restrictions, we had to work with what we had."
A mission's success is never because of a single reason, said Oliver. "It's from the maintenance crew to the aircrew's training and communication. Communication is huge."
Utilizing the aircrew's training and communicating in route was the success of the mission.
"Training makes days like this a little less nerve-wracking," said Oliver.
At 5:50 a.m., the female was transported from the helicopter to an ambulance and was taken to Sheridan Memorial Hospital.
"It was awesome to be able to save the woman," said Finnegan.
(Editor's Note: This story was written by Airman 1st Class Magen Reeves, one of the newest member's of the 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs office)
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2015 10:57 |
| Story ID: | 169389 |
| Location: | MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MT, US |
| Hometown: | BUFFALO, WY, US |
| Hometown: | GREAT FALLS, MT, US |
| Hometown: | SHERIDAN, WY, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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