20

As Smooth As It Gets

08:39:00

Jeremy Elliot

Supervisor, Idaho State EMS Communications Center

NFD:	State Comm, Nampa Fire Rescue One.
SC:	Nampa Fire Rescue One, go ahead.
NFD:	Nampa Fire Rescue One is on route with seven personnel and three vehicles to rendezvous with Owyhee County sheriff deputies in Silver City.

Great to hear the voices of Nampa Fire on their way to the rescue. Momentum was building with a number of agencies responding, each one having specific skill sets.

SC:	Copy. On route to Silver City to meet with Owyhee County sheriff deputies. Could you advise of an ETA?
NFD:	Estimated 25 minutes.
SC:	Copy that. Twenty-five-minute ETA.

In an extremely time-sensitive situation, communications were always critical. Our goal was to keep all parties up-to-date with accurate information. Whatever we had. Keeping people in the loop.

OCS:	Owyhee County Sheriff’s office.
SC:	This is Jeremy at State Comm.
OCS:	Yes, Jeremy.
SC:	I just got off the phone with the MEDEVAC unit from Gowen. Their ETA lift is about one hour. They are waiting for the crews to arrive. The helicopter they are using has hoist capabilities but they can only transport one patient at a time. They will be bringing with them what they call a SKED. The rescue team should know what a SKED is—it’s a stretcher. They will lift from the scene up to the Air St. Luke’s aircraft.
OCS:	Okay.
SC:	They will also be operating as well on the State F-2 frequency when they get out there. At this time, this is about the only information they have to provide right now.
OCS:	Okay. Did we ever get clarification from the medical crew whether we have a 16-year-old male or a 26-year-old female?
SC:	It is a 26-year-old female. When I talked to the Air St. Luke’s asset, he said it was most likely an error because of the difficulties in communications.
OCS:	Okay. So it is a 26-year-old female with possible pelvis fracture?
SC:	Yes. Other than that, we are just waiting to hear. As I said, it is going to be about an hour before they are going to be able to get out there.
OCS:	So they are going to set down here in Murphy?
SC:	I don’t believe they are going to set down in Murphy because they are going to want to get the patients lifted as soon as possible.
OCS:	Okay. They are going straight to the scene.
SC:	Yes. Straight to the scene because it is a smaller aircraft. It is not a Blackhawk.

I imagined that the National Guard chose to use the UH 72, the Lakota, because it was a smaller aircraft, able to get into tight areas.

OCS:	How many people will they have on board?
SC:	Probably a flight medic, the pilot, and another crew member on board.
OCS:	Great.
SC:	I will notify Air St. Luke’s as well.
OCS:	Thanks.

By any measure, the National Guard was mobilizing fast. Usually the approval process alone took three to four hours. This time, we had heard back in about an hour’s time.

A lot of what State Comm was doing on this incident was a bit out of the ordinary, such as getting someone’s phone number, especially someone of the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel, over a radio. But given the emergency, it was the only way that kind of contact would happen quickly. And it seemed warranted.

Everyone at the Guard had been professional and gracious, especially on an early Sunday morning. Even though the wheels were starting to turn at the Guard, I still worked through with AFRCC the formal request process.

Ben Mendez, the other dispatcher, and I were juggling everything at the same time. East Coast. Gowen. Air St. Luke’s. OCS. And everyone else. While dealing with the other incoming calls from throughout the state that had nothing to do with this incident.

The feeling, though, was great. Everyone across the board was jumping through hoops to get those people off the mountain and to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Great news for those on the ground, cold and hurting.

ASL:	Air St. Luke’s. This is Cassidy.
SC:	Cassidy, this is Jeremy at State Comm. I just got off the phone with the Gowen crew. They will be flying their Lakota aircraft. They will not be using a Blackhawk, and when they do their hoist, they will lift the patient up to the Air St. Luke’s asset and transfer the patient to your birds. They can do only one patient at time.
ASL:	Okay. So they are going to lift the patients one at a time to the aircraft.
SC:	Correct.
ASL:	So we have three patients but only two aircraft.
SC:	Exactly. The Lakota is their MEDEVAC. I don’t know if they are able to transport the third one. Also, they are looking to lift in about an hour from Gowen. I do have the chief pilot’s number at Gowen if we need further assistance or if other information comes in. He did say that they were bringing SKEDs to package patients, if that will work for Air St. Luke’s crews.
ASL:	It should. And are you going to relay this information to them? I am only hearing you, not the other side anymore.
SC:	Okay. I will go ahead and contact Josh.

Josh Bingaman was the Air St. Luke’s medic holding down communications from the landing zone. Communication had been dicey and infrequent as the crews there were conserving their radio batteries.

ASL:	I think their pagers are still working. I have sent them a couple of updates to their pagers.
SC:	Okay. I will see if I can get hold of Josh that way to let him know what is going on.

Air St. Luke’s was dealing with swapping out crews along with multiple aircraft at the landing zone, even one that was bringing in medical supplies. With the National Guard Lakota, there could easily be four or five helicopters involved here.

ASL 3:	State Comm, Air St. Luke’s 3 on F-2.
SC:	Luke’s 3, go ahead.
ASL 3:	Can you confirm that local EMS in the area has been activated and, if responding, their status?
SC:	I will check and advise. I know that Nampa Fire had some units staged in Murphy. I will check to see what other EMS are on scene or in the area.
ASL 3:	Copy. One of the requests was for a tarp to cover a windshield. Would there be a tarp in the local vicinity?
SC:	Copy.
NFD:	State Comm, Rescue One.
SC:	Rescue One, go ahead.
NFD:	Rescue One has ALS capabilities with equipment, and we have a tarp with our rope rescue gear. We are moving from Silver City staging area to the crash scene.
SC:	Copy. Rescue One has ALS capabilities and equipment along with a tarp. Heading out to the scene at this time.

On the ground, you had OCS deputies and posse members, Nampa Fire en route along with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue. That was a lot of people. However, because most of the people involved in this rescue were used to working together, the incident was moving very smoothly.

ASL 1:	State Comm, Air St. Luke’s 1.
SC:	Air St. Luke’s 1, go ahead.
ASL 1:	I am at the LZ and want to send coordinates through you.
SC:	Go ahead.
ASL 1:	Okay. LZ coordinates for LZ, supply drop-off, patient transfer after extraction is as follows: North 42° 59" 38' West 116° 41" 16'. Can you read that back to me please?
SC:	Copy. Show supply drop off and patient transfer coordinates as being 42° 59" 38' by 116° 41" 16'.
ASL 1:	That read back is correct. I will attempt to remain at this location to do a face-to-face with Luke’s 3 and with the Army helicopter.
SC:	Copy. Air St. Luke’s 1 remaining on scene to do a face-to-face with Air St. Luke’s 3 and the Army chopper as well. Are you requesting that they come to your location prior to going to the scene?
ASL 1:	Affirmative. The helicopters will not be able to land at the scene. So they can land at the LZ coordinates that I gave you. I can brief them on what is going on and direct them with the correct route for the ground guys to walk down to the actual site.
SC:	Copy that. I will go ahead and relay that to Army helicopter as well.
ASL:	St. Luke’s 1, thank you.
SC:	State Comm clear 10:01.

Yes. This incident was going to turn out well. These patients were going to get out of there alive.

Man. I love what I do.