Anytime and anywhere: Task Force Poseidon Medics train for hoist missions

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Donna Davis | Sgt. Kevin Burleson, of Cameron, N.C., Task Force Talon standardization instructor, checks the hoist cable before Spc. Aaron King, of Orlando, Fla, flight medic with Task Force Talon, is hoisted down to the ground during hoist training on Bagram Airfield, Dec. 15.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

12.15.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. Donna Davis 

Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Spc. Aaron King, a flight medic, dangles more than 200 hundred feet in the air from an HH-60M Medevac Black Hawk-secured by only a thin metal wire and two carabineers.

The rotor blades stir up dirt in the air as Sgt. Patrick Lynch pulls him in.

Lynch, a native of Canton, Mich., has been a crew chief for more than four years, and was recently assigned to C Company, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Talon. Today, Lynch is training to become certified to operate the hoist during medical evacuation missions.

This is the third hoist training exercise for Lynch and the first time he’s trained with a live patient instead of a manikin. With his buddy’s life in his hands, he’s careful to make sure everything is perfect.

Once Lynch pulls King in, they position themselves to do the whole thing over again in reverse. Lynch concentrates on lowering King to the ground.

Hoisting King up to the aircraft and down to the ground is the closest training Lynch will get next to an actual hoist mission. It’s a dangerous procedure for both Soldiers and equipment, but necessary for medevac crews to be ready when it really counts. The training also gives Lynch the confidence he will need when it comes time to conduct a hoist medical evacuation.

When a medevac crew spins up for a hoist mission and they arrive on the scene, crew chiefs like Lynch are the ones responsible for the safety and well-being of every inch of the aircraft the pilots can’t see-more than 38 feet of it, plus the patients and passengers on board.

“Hoist training is extremely important because this is one of the most difficult and dangerous things we do in the airframe,” said King, an Orlando, Fla., Native.

A hoist mission is usually a last resort; conducted only when there is nowhere for the aircraft to land. Due to the extreme terrain in eastern Afghanistan, hoist missions are more likely here than most places.

If a ground unit calls for a medical evacuation in a wooded area, near lots of buildings or on a mountainside, C Company, often referred to as “Dustoff,” has the ability to hoist an injured person out of the danger area, provide immediate care, and quickly evacuate that patient to better-equipped medical facilities.

When the aircraft arrives to pick up patients, a crew chief slides the large cargo door open and draws the hoist hook inside as he’s pounded with winds from the whirling blades. He hooks a flight medic in to the hoist cable with a special harness, and carefully lowers him or her to the ground. It’s a difficult process that has to be done quickly- strong winds and enemy fire are a few hazards that can cause the helicopter to swing and slam a soldier into rocks, buildings, or trees.

On the ground, the medic stabilizes the patient and secures him or her to a special portable stretcher called a Sked. Once the patient is tightly fastened, the flight medic alerts the crew, who then pulls the patient to safety while the medic controls a tag line (another rope hanging from the stretcher) to keep the stretcher steady. If the medic loses control of the tag line the Sked can spiral out of control and cause further injuries or kill the patient.

“You can’t over-fixate on any one thing,” said Lynch. “I don’t want to hurt anybody- the whole point is to help people.”

In order for a crew chief to become qualified to conduct hoist missions soldiers like Lynch have to complete an extra 14-16 hours of instruction, including night training, all done under the watchful eye of an experienced instructor.

Standardization instructors like Sgt. Kevin Burleson, of Cameron, N.C., are crew chiefs became experts in the aircraft, and now train others. They are not only responsible for teaching the new guys, but in the bigger picture, they’re responsible for how that soldier performs when it really counts. He’s paying particularly close attention today.

“Hoist missions are one of the most difficult tasks that we do in medical evacuation,” said Burleson. “It is the most critical and the most dangerous mission.”

Dustoff crew members have performed 10 hoist missions in a variety of situations since arriving in August. Staying proficient between missions is key- and something Burleson does not take lightly.

“I’ve dedicated a lot of time to training myself, so I can teach these guys to perform flawlessly,” said Burleson.

Medevac soldiers share the same philosophy when it comes to their missions.

“We will go anywhere, anyplace, anytime to get anyone regardless of the situation,” said Burleson. “So if it requires us to do hoist, then that’s what we are prepared to do.”

82nd Combat Aviation Brigade medevac crews have completed more than 600 missions throughout Regional Command-East since August.

• Date Taken: 12.15.2011
• Date Posted: 12.30.2011 20:15
• Story ID: 81927
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF