Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter file photo
KODIAK, Alaska — A Coast Guard aircrew medically evacuated a crewmember from the vessel Palona, approximately 450 miles south of Kodiak, Alaska, on Tuesday.
An Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew arrived on scene at 11:00 p.m. and safely hoisted and transported the patient to Kodiak, where they conducted a wing-to-wing transfer with a LifeMed crew.
On Monday, at 5:25 a.m., 17th District Command Center watchstanders received an email from the Palona crew reporting that a 41-year-old male was experiencing abdominal pain and other medical complications.
At 5:35 p.m. on Tuesday, the helicopter aircrew launched from Air Station Kodiak to respond, while the vessel made its way closer to Kodiak. At 9:06 p.m., an aircrew aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft also launched to respond to the incident and assist as needed.
“Having a secondary aircraft assist in a medical evacuation like this is a common procedure in the Coast Guard and reduces the risk during operations conducted so far offshore,” said Matthew Barnaby, a watchstander at the 17th District Command Center. “The C-130 aircrew was able to provide a communications platform while the MH-60 aircrew conducted the hoist and transfer of the patient. In the event of an emergency, the C-130 crew would be on scene to provide lifesaving rescue equipment.”
The helicopter aircrew landed at the Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport at 12:53 a.m. to conduct the patient transfer.
