(FLINTSTONE, MD) – Troopers from the Maryland State Police Aviation Command performed an aerial hoist rescue on an injured person in Allegany County, Maryland on Saturday.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on November 8, rescue personnel from Allegany County were dispatched to Greenridge State Forest for an injured person who fell approximately 15 feet off of a tree stand. Due to the victim’s extended extrication time and the nature of the victim’s injuries, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was requested to perform an aerial hoist rescue. Trooper 5, the MSP helicopter based in Cumberland, was dispatched to the mission by the SYSCOM Duty Officer.
Emergency medical services and rescue personnel maintained patient care during ground operations and assisted with the packaging of the patient. A Trooper/Rescue Technician was lowered down to the scene into a clearing in the dense tree coverage, where the victim was located. An assessment was performed, and the patient was prepared for aerial extraction via a patient extrication platform device.
As the pilots from Trooper 5 hovered over the wooded area in the Greenridge State Forest, they maneuvered the Augusta AW-139 into a steady 125-foot hover and successfully hoisted the victim into the helicopter. Once the patient was hoisted safely to the aircraft, the flight crew was able to transition into the medical evacuation role and transported the victim directly to a local hospital for further assessment and treatment.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command staffs each helicopter with two pilots and two state trooper/medical clinicians. The MSPAC has served since 1970 and operates a fleet of 10 AW139 helicopters from seven bases in Maryland. Each aircraft provides round-the-clock coverage to Maryland residents and visitors. The agency’s missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of the aerial rescues and all missions performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on monthly, quarterly, and annual proficiency training and is a cooperative effort with allied agencies and our partners at the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Park Police.
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CONTACT: First Sergeant Jeffrey Leppert, (301) 777-8400
Maryland State Police Aviation Command – Cumberland Section
