Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Eshleman | 240301-N-EV253-2092 SAN DIEGO, Calif. (March 1, 2024) – US Naval Aircrewman 3rd...... read more read more
SAN DIEGO – Two U.S. Navy pilots and one Naval Aircrewman assigned to the “Merlins” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 were the first on the scene to render aid to the victim of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident on the Glamis Dunes in Imperial County, CA on March 23.
Lt. Caleb Herrick and his co-pilot Lt. Brian Kennedy are both Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) instructor pilots at HSC-3. U.S. Naval Aircrewman 3rd Class Andrew Janvrin graduated from the Fleet Replacement Aircrewmen (FRAC) training pipeline on March 1 at the squadron, making him one of the Navy’s newest Aircrewmen. The crew of three were conducting a routine unit level training flight in an MH-60S helicopter in the area when Kennedy spotted an ATV rider signaling to the aircraft.
“When we were flying over the sand dunes, we saw what seemed to be some people waving at us to say ‘hi,’ said Kennedy. “As we got closer, we realized that they were waving for our help and they were pointing to an injured person at the bottom of a steep dune. We flew overhead to assess the situation, determined the person to be in need of lifesaving assistance, then chose a good landing spot in the saddle of a dune, and landed to render aid.”
Glamis Dunes, also known as the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, is among the largest off-highway vehicle recreation areas for sand dunes in the United States. Military and Government aircraft operating in the area have become accustomed to seeing riders, who frequently wave at or interact with the aircraft crews from the ground. But when one such rider was spotted waving the aircraft down from the top of a particularly tall dune, it became apparent that there was an imminent emergency situation occurring. Janvrin opened the door to the aircraft and verified that he saw a person lying on the ground in the valley formed between the dunes, obviously the result of an ATV accident. Following a 360-overhead approach, the crew had to act quickly, and decide if aid in an overland rescue mission was feasible for the aircraft’s capabilities.
“As the aircraft commander, my number one priority is my crew, and the second, my aircraft,” said Herrick. “So, I’m worried if my crew is okay to do this. Everybody rogered up right away. Everybody was on board. It was very much, ‘let’s go do it.’ There was no hesitation and no questions. I only did this knowing that we could be an asset and not a hindrance.”
Fortunately, Herrick’s co-pilot that day had a very specific skillset which made the landing on the loose sand of the soft dune achievable for the aircraft. Kennedy serves as a night and day Terrain (TERF) landing instructor at HSC-3, and was able to guide the aircraft into a secure spot on the dune.
“It happened quickly but I felt completely prepared due to my past training and emphasis on staying calm in stressful or high-stakes situations that our community places upon us,” said Kennedy. “I also felt that the crew worked well to keep each other on top of all aspects of the situation and to continually assess the situation as it developed.”
The pilots then dispatched Janvrin from the aircraft with a medical kit to perform his duties as a crewman and provide aid to the patient, while they began to call for help.
“AWS3 Janvrin just completed the syllabus,” said Herrick, referring to Janvrin’s very recent graduation from the FRAC training pipeline earlier in the month. “He just got his Wings. So, the fact that he just jumped out and started working on this guy immediately is incredible. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve flown with that anytime something real like this pops up – even pilots – will just freeze because it’s their first time doing it, they’re nervous or something. Janvrin didn’t have that. He just went straight to it. It’s crazy how well this training works, because as soon as something popped off, everybody just slid right into their roles and just started executing the way we trained to, and the next thing you know, you take back off and the patient was stabilized and on his way to a hospital, and we’re just like ‘Wow. We actually just did that.’”
“I still can’t believe it myself,” echoed Janvrin. “The fact that a lot of crewmen in this rate never do what I just did – I mean, the whole time I was thinking ‘this can’t be happening, this is not happening right now.’ But I was ready. I was more than capable. It was like, ‘this is exciting.’”
Nearly 20 minutes into the interaction, a Reach Air Medical Services helicopter arrived and landed on an adjacent dune. Janvrin had returned to the aircraft to brief the pilots on the situation. One of the riders had been able to make a call to 911, and Reach had been dispatched. Though the MH-60S had been prepared to medevac the patient to the nearest hospital, which was located in Yuma, AZ, the crew once again agreed that the Reach aircraft, equipped with a trauma suite and a team of EMTs, was the best option to utilize in getting the patient to safety. Kennedy and Janvrin disembarked the MH-60S with a rescue litter, and – along with civilians on the scene and members of the Reach team – loaded the patient onto the litter and carried him approximately 300 meters up the sand dune to the rescue aircraft.
“I’ve got to give thanks to my instructors, 100 percent,” said Janvrin. “Just thinking about how much we practiced and all the scenarios we’ve run through, and how things are going to go. Literally, the flight went basically just as how we train to in overland search and rescue situations; how we’re coming into a landing, getting in there and start working the patient.”
Kennedy expressed similar sentiments regarding the exchange.
“It was very surreal at first but it’s very fulfilling and added aspects of job satisfaction as well as crew cohesion as we reflected on it together,” said Kennedy. “I am grateful to be given the opportunity to help others in the way that I did.”
Herrick, who had served as the helicopter aircraft commander for the experience, summed up his thoughts regarding the team’s performance.
“It’s such a great feeling,” said Herrick. “We train so much to do certain things, and obviously going on deployment – we have so many different facets of this job; we think about combat, we think about shooting missiles and taking care of bad guys and protecting people, and Search and Rescue. So, if I could do anything again, it would be this. It was a testament too that all of us were just worried about the survivor at that point, we’re just like, ‘hey is this guy stable, is he going to make it,’ so we were super happy that we could get him to a higher level of care.”
HSC-3 is the Navy’s West Coast MH-60S Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), responsible for training pilots and aircrewmen by providing the most capable warfighters to the Fleet.
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2024 12:15 |
| Story ID: | 467666 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,074 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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