442 Squadron Cormorant Crew Rescues Injured Hunter

September 19, 2004

Pictured is the ledge area where the SAR techs were hoisted down to(bottom left) The scene where the hunter was (see remnants of space blanket middle-lower [yellow] plus the tree that landed on him is in the upper-left corner of the image).

19 WING COMOX – Provincial Emergency Health Services requested rescue assistance from the Canadian Forces the night of Saturday, September 18th, to rescue a hunter who had been injured by a falling tree, approximately 100 kilometres north of Bella Bella, B.C.

That assistance came in the form of a 442 Squadron Cormorant helicopter, called in because of the aircraft and the aircrew’s capabilities to complete the risky mission, which took place in darkness, in the mountainous tree-covered region.

The Cormorant helicopter, piloted by Captains Troy Kearns and Chris Hulser, hovered 40 feet above a cliff, with a steep mountainside looming close beside.

“Once we got on-scene the weather was okay,” said Capt. Chris Hulser, a US Coast Guard on exchange at 442 Squadron. “However, the topography was not good. We were 2500 feet above sea level, the mountain had a 60-degree slope and there were numerous rock and tree slides in the area.”

The darkness and terrain made it difficult to find the injured 39-year-old Swiss man and even more challenging to reach him.

“We knew the approximate location,” said Sgt. JP Cossette, Search and Rescue technician and team leader for the rescue. “The hunter had a space blanket that reflected off our search light, which was the main reason we spotted him.”

SAR techs Sgt. JP Cossette and Master Cpl. Andrew MacKenzie were then hoisted to a small ledge by flight engineer Master Cpl. Carl Schouten, where they began a 50-metre climb to the injured hunter.

“It was a physically demanding rescue,” said Sgt. Cossette. “It was very steep, with a lot of loose rocks, trees and mud, which was a more serious issue when trying to hoist the litter out. We decided to hoist from where the hunter was, rather than the ledge, because of the hazardous conditions.”

“The patient was in a great deal of pain when we reached him,” said Master Cpl. Andrew MacKenzie. “He was hanging in there, though.

“Overall, it was a challenging mission but the efficiency of our team enabled us to reach the patient and get him aboard the helicopter as quickly as possible.”

The SAR techs monitored the patient onboard and he was safely delivered to Terrace, B.C., where he was taken by ambulance to Terrace hospital.

-30-

For more information, please contact the 19 Wing Public Affairs Officer, Capt Cheryl Robinson, at (250) 339-8201, pager (250) 703-7035.