Air Station San Francisco Conducts Rescue Surf Training
Story & Photo by PA3 Sabrina Arrayan
SAN FRANCISCO (March 3, 2005) - Air Station San Francisco conducted rescue surf training in Ocean Beach. Rescue swimmer AST2 Kelly McCarthy sits higher than the "victim", also called, "duck" during a rescue hoist drill. After deployment, the rescue swimmer places a strap under the arms and around the back and chest of the "duck", and then wraps his legs around the person in preparation for the hoist. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sabrina Arrayan)
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The air station schedules surf operations for approximately an hour once a month, to keep the aircrew experienced and ready to perform surf rescues at any time. Training involves a coordinated effort between the pilot, flight mechanic, rescue swimmer, ground crew members and a communications center.
Two HH-65 Dolphin helicopters are used in the drills, to ensure safety and readiness of all crewmembers, said Lt. Che J. Barnes, an AirSta San Francisco pilot involved in the drills. If one of the helicopters becomes inoperable, the other helicopter is available to assist.
After the helicopters arrive at the training site, crewmembers do an observation and risk assessment of the situation, Barnes said. They check on-scene weather, determine how shallow the water is, and look for dangers such as rocks and caves. Barnes said risk assessment is the responsibility of all crewmembers.
"Team work is the name of the game between the pilot, the swimmer, and the mechanic," said Barnes.
Two rescue swimmers called "ducks", who enter the water from the beach, act as "victims". Once the aircrew locates a "victim" in the water, the pilot and flight crew assess the height of the waves and establish a safety zone to maneuver closer to the victim. At this point, the rescue swimmer must choose between two types of deployment methods, Barnes said.
One type of deployment is the "freefall method", which requires the helicopter to hover about 10 to 15 feet above the top of a wave. The low altitude allows the rescue swimmer to time his jump and safely land on the backside of the wave, said Barnes. During this deployment, either a basket or sling can be lowered to the rescue swimmer. The basket is used to hoist a victim to safety, and a sling is used to keep the cable and hook afloat. Once the rescue swimmer is in the water, he can grab a hold of the sling and attach himself to be hoisted, said Barnes.
The other type of deployment is the "direct deployment", where the rescue swimmer is attached to the helicopter hoist and is lowered to the victim, said Air Station San Francisco rescue swimmer AST1 Albert Amescua.
The victim is found and positioned to face the rescue swimmer so that straps from the swimmer’s safety harness can go under the arms and around the victim’s back and chest, said Amescua. Once these straps are on, the rescue swimmer hooks the cable hoist and attaches both the victim and himself, according to Amescua. Both persons are either hoisted up into the helicopter, or the victim is moved to a safe area to be dropped off, said Amescua.
While all this is happening, communications are maintained every 15 minutes with Group San Francisco. Two rescue swimmers, equipped with hand-held radios, are also on the beach in case of an emergency, said Barnes.
The biggest reward of actually rescuing a person is the crew’s effort and the great amount of support received from fellow coastguardsmen and other agencies involved in the rescue effort, said Amescua. Without the Coast Guard there, the victims would not have survived, said Amescua.
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