Coast Guard, Navy medevac ill mariner from sailing vessel north of Oahu

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers | 160710-G-IA651-001 COAST GUARD AIR STATION BARBERS POINT, OAHU (July 10, 2016) The crew of an HC-130 Hercules airplane begins their preflight checks. The crew flew cover and managed communications for a Navy SH-60 crew on a medevac of a 58-year-old mariner 184 north of Oahu. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers/Released) 

HI, UNITED STATES
07.10.2016
Story by Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers
U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii

HONOLULU — Coast Guard and Navy aircrews conducted a medevac of a 58-year-old mariner from the 45-foot sailing vessel Second Chance 184 miles north of Oahu, Sunday.

A Navy SH-60 helicopter crew from Kaneohe Bay hoisted the mariner aboard the helicopter and returned to Kaneohe Bay where he was transferred in stable condition to awaiting emergency medical personnel for further transport to Castle Medical Center.

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew flew cover for the Navy helicopter and managed communications with the sailing vessel crew for both aircraft and Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders. A Coast Guard hospital corpsman flew with the Navy helicopter crew, administered an IV to the mariner and monitored his condition en route to Oahu.

At 5:55 a.m. Thursday the Coast Guard received a request for a medevac of the mariner who was suffering from extreme seasickness and is diabetic with a heart condition. The vessel departed Ko’olina, Oahu, with six people aboard five days earlier but turned around when the mariner became severely ill.

They were three days from Oahu at the time of their call for assistance. A Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended the crew monitor the mariner’s condition and close the distance between them and Coast Guard crews. The Second Chance crew maintained a regular communications schedule with the Coast Guard.

By 4:40 a.m. Saturday the mariner’s previously stable condition was deteriorating. The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended a medevac to bring the mariner to higher level of medical care as soon as possible. The Second Chance was still outside the range of any hoist capable aircraft and there were no vessels in the area. The crew continued to make way toward Oahu.

Watchstanders estimated the vessel would be within range of air assets by first light Sunday and coordinated with the Navy’s HSM-37 Squadron to conduct the hoist. The Coast Guard Hercules crew launched prior to sunrise and the helicopter crew shortly after.

The helicopter crew deployed their rescue swimmer and attempted to hoist the mariner from the deck of the Second Chance but 13 mph winds from the east and 7-foot seas made it impossible to do safely. The rescue swimmer was instead able to swim the mariner from the sailing vessel to the awaiting rescue basket a few hundred yards from the Second Chance, clear of the mast and rigging. Once the mariner was safely aboard the crew recovered their rescue swimmer and departed for Kaneohe Bay.

“This case’s extreme distance and the mariner’s need underscores the importance of having hoist capable helicopters in the main Hawaiian Islands,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Scott, of Coast Guard Joint Rescue and Coordination Center Honolulu. “Our thanks to the Navy for their continued support and partnership in this case, allowing us to get the mariner to vital medical care in the most expedient way possible.”

Coast Guard rescues 3 from sunken shrimp boat near Sabine Pass, Texas

Debris from the sunken shrimp boat, Captain Kevin, near the jetties at the mouth of the Sabine River, July 11, 2016. Petty Officer 2nd Class Samual Wright, Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec McLaughlin, Petty Officer 3rd Class Lynda Stewart and Petty Officer 3rd Class Sebastian Ludena, The Station Sabine boatcrew, rescued three men at approximately 4:30 a.m. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec McLaughlin

SABINE PASS, TX, UNITED STATES
07.11.2016
Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin Williams
U.S. Coast Guard District 8 PADET Houston

Three men were rescued by a Coast Guard Station Sabine boatcrew after their shrimp boat took on water and sank in the mouth of the Sabine River, July 11, 2016. Petty Officer 2nd Class Samuel Wright, Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec McLaughlin, Petty Officer 3rd Class Lynda Stewart and Petty officer 3rd Class Sebastian Ludena rescued the three men at approximately 4:30 a.m. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec McLaughlin

The three survivors of the sunken shrimp boat, Captain Kevin, ride back to Station Sabine aboard a Coast Guard 45-foot response boat, July 11, 2016. Petty Officer 2nd Class Samual Wright, Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec McLaughlin, Petty Officer 3rd Class Lynda Stewart and Petty Officer 3rd Class Sebastian Ludena rescued the men at approximately 4:30 a.m. in the mouth of the Sabine River. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec McLaughlin

Silver Flag prepares Airmen for deployment

A U.S. Air Force firefighter waits to begin a burning building rescue exercise at Tyndall Air Force Base’s Silver Flag exercise site, June 24, 2016. Firefighters receive special hands-on training at the Silver Flag site. The 823rd RED HORSE's primary wartime responsibility is to provide a highly rapid-deployable, self-sufficient civil engineer response force to support contingency and special operations worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cody R. Miller/Released)

PANAMA CITY, FL, UNITED STATES
07.07.2016
Story by Airman 1st Class Cody Miller
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The Silver Flag Exercise Site is home to Det. 1, 823d REDHORSE. The squadron's 74-person cadre provides contingency combat support training to active-duty, reserve and Air National Guard Airmen, Army, Marine Corps and allied nations mission support group personnel.
Over the years, the training at Silver Flag has evolved, which includes disaster preparedness, fire protection, explosive ordnance disposal, food service and lodging skills, chemical warfare operations and personnel accountability.
The Airmen train three career fields at the training site: services, civil engineering firefighting and operations management. All of these career fields have vastly different missions, but the Silver Flag site finds a way to incorporate them into their goal of training confident and competent Airmen.
“We teach students of multiple career fields the standard of operating in their job during war time,” said Master Sgt. Steven Moore, Det. 1, 823d REDHORSE section chief of engineering and operations management. “Many Airmen may not have that experience of deploying, so we give them the opportunity to practice like they play before going down range.”
Airmen from the operations management career field normally have the role of administrative tracking of facility and land usage. When deployed, they gain the additional responsibility of ensuring working communications for civil engineering as well as deal with host nation supply chains as needed.
“In a deployed setting, we would track all work scheduling for civil engineering,” said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Brace, Det. 1, 823d REDHORSE operations management NCO-in-charge. “We are able to give our students hands-on training with dealing with material management through foreign suppliers. We also teach them how to program radios, which as operations management, we are responsible for when deployed. Our five-to-six day program culminates on the final day with a sitewide exercise that lets the students utilize everything they’ve learned.”
Another necessary field is the services career field. Most Airmen know services personnel as the specialists who prepare and serve their food at the dining facility, but they responsible for much more while deployed.
“In addition to the normal duties a services specialist would have, such as ensuring that the best quality food is given to our Airmen, we will also take part in taking care of and transporting bodies after attacks,” said Senior Airman Casey Belieu, a 104th Fighter Wing services specialist, who participated in a recent Silver Flag exercise. “I like the satisfaction of being the ones to give respect to the body and recover it home. This training has prepared me for the real world expectations of working in austere conditions.”
Finally, there are the fire protection specialists, who deal with everything from brush fires to burning rocket fuel and hazardous material fires. When deployed, the importance of their job escalates as the nature of a deployed environment requires absolute security and safety.
On the final day of the exercise, firefighters are expected to complete multiple training rescue missions, to include building fire rescue training, aircraft fire training and even helicopter crash recovery. Firefighters receive specific expeditionary training that supply the combatant commander with a highly trained and skilled emergency response force.
As a final exercise, the firefighters ignite what is referred to as the “burn pit” that burns jet fuel at high temperatures. This exercise involves a burning aircraft husk and utilizing advanced firefighting equipment with automatic sprayers to douse the flames.
Despite the diversity of these career fields, the cadre are able to intertwine their specific skills and advanced knowledge to create a comprehensive and cohesive training experiment for all Airmen involved.
“The Silver Flag site gives combatant commanders personnel that are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice and do their job confidently without hesitation,” said Brace.

U.S. Air Force firefighters practice rapid victim rescue procedures in a burning building exercise at Tyndall Air Force Base’s Silver Flag exercise site, June 24, 2016. The cadre at the Det. 1, 823rd REDHORSE teach a seven-day course that instructs civil engineers, communications, force support and finance personnel on how to build and maintain bare-base operations at forward-deployed locations. Students hone a variety of combat and survival skills, such as repairing damaged runways and setting up base facilities; fire fighters receive specific expeditionary training that supply the combatant commander with a highly trained and skilled emergency response force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cody R. Miller/Released)

U.S. Air Force firefighters douse the flames of a burning aircraft husk during a burn pit training exercise at the Silver Flag exercise site at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., June 23, 2016. During the seven-day Silver Flag course, firefighters receive specific expeditionary training that supplies the combatant commander with a highly trained and skilled emergency response force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cody R. Miller/Released)

A U.S. Air Force firefighter lights the burn pit at the Silver Flag Exercise Site, located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., June 23, 2016. The burn pit is used to simulate aircraft fires and can burn so hot that the flames can only be approached while wearing multiple layers of fire protection. The Silver Flag exercise site is run by the Det. 1, 823rd REDHORSE, and the squadron's 74-person cadre provides contingency combat support training to active-duty, reserve and Air National Guard Airmen, Army, Marine Corps and allied nations mission support group personnel. More than 4,500 Airmen are trained each year at the site. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cody R. Miller/Released)

AL UDEID AIR BASE, QATAR Firefighters beat the heat

Staff Sgt. Kevin Vaughn, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, operates the Oshkosh Striker crash truck on the flight line June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The striker carries 3,000 gallons of water and 420 gallons of firefighting foam. It can discharge the water or foam from a roof turret, which flows 1,250 gallons per minute, or a front bumper mounted turret, which flows 300 gpm. The AUAB fire department is the busiest in the Air Force based on call volume. The warm weather here places additional stress on systems that sometimes results in the outbreak of a fire, such as motors running hotter on vehicles or electrical systems overheating when under high demand. Additionally, unlike at home station, the 379th ECES fire department works with coalition partners and host nation partners in support of several types of aircraft on base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

AL UDEID AIR BASE, QATAR
07.07.2016
Story by Senior Airman Janelle Patiño
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

Airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department provide word-class fire and emergency service where they protect lives and properties from all hazards. In addition, they also provide premier fire and emergency services and host a robust fire prevention and education program here.

The AUAB fire department is the busiest in the Air Force based on call volume. Additionally, unlike at home station, fire department Airmen work with coalition and host nation partners in support of several types of aircraft on base.

Staff Sgt. Gregory Mazzone, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, and Tech. Sgt. Gabriel Boulware, 379th ECES crew chief, repack the 1 ¾-inch hand line from Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Repacking a hand line requires certain hose lines loaded in specific ways for different situations. Ensuring the hose is placed back on the Engine 21 correctly is critical to its rapid deployment at the next emergency where it is needed. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Staff Sgt. Josh Patterson, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Engine 21 operator, increases the throttle of Engine 21’s fire pump to the appropriate pressure of 120 pounds per square inch, which is the required pressure for a 1 ¾-inch hand line June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Due to the warm weather, many of the fires occur outside to include fires in dumpsters, large generators overheating and catching fire and fuel spills caused by heat-expanded fuel that overflows out of aircraft fuel vents. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Staff Sgt. Josh Patterson, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Engine 21 operator, operates the fire pump of Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Fire pump operators go through training and classroom time to understand how a fire pump functions and how to effectively operate it. Firefighters conduct training daily to improve their response to building fires, aircraft fires, rescuing people from auto accidents, hazardous materials incidents and technical rescue to prepare for different types of emergencies that can occur on base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Senior Airman Dashawn Gilford, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, advances a 1 ¾-inch hand line, which sprays in a fog pattern June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Most Air Force and Department of Defense firefighters work 72 consecutive hours each week providing fire and emergency services to the aircraft and the base. The 379th ECES fire department works with coalition partners and host nation partners in support of several types of aircraft on base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Senior Airman Dashawn Gilford, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, stretches a 1-3/4 inch hand line, which flows approximately 150 gallons per minute, from the side of the Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The 100-foot hand line is broken into 50-foot lengths and is drained of water and rolled to remove air after each use. The hose lengths are then reattached and loaded back onto the engine neatly and correctly to ensure a smooth deployment when an emergency arises. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Senior Airman Dashawn Gilford, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, dons his personal protective equipment prior to stretching a 1 ¾-inch hand line from the side of the Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Firefighters place their personal protective equipment onto the fire truck and inspect their self-contained breathing apparatus in preparation for each work shift. Fire truck operators also inspect and start the truck to ensure the vehicle is ready for service and nothing is broken or missing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Senior Airman Dashawn Gilford, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, dons his self-contained breathing apparatus face piece prior to operating a hand line from Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. There is more than one fire station here to provide adequate coverage and quick response time based on the geography of the base and volume of calls. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Senior Airman Dashawn Gilford, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, dons his personal protective equipment prior to stretching a 1 ¾-inch hand line from the side of Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The 379th ECES fire department consists of enlisted personnel from Active Duty, Air National Guard and Reserve units. Its structure mirrors most fire departments both in the military and civilian world to include a fire chief, deputy fire chief, training chief, fire prevention and inspection division and emergency communications center crew chiefs. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Staff Sgt. Josh Patterson, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Engine 21 operator, adjusts a scene light prior to operating the fire pump on Engine 21 June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The fire department here is the busiest fire department in the Air Force based on call volume. Despite their operations tempo, the firefighters also assist with fire sprinkler system maintenance and teach fire safety to school children at the American School of Doha. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Master Sgt. Amy Hartman, 379th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron mental health NCO in charge, briefs firefighters of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron at Fire Station 3 during their weekly roll call held June 24, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The 379th ECES fire department provides word-class fire and emergency service where they protect lives and properties from all hazards. In addition, they also provide premier fire and emergency services and host robust fire prevention and education program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Janelle Patiño/Released)

Members of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal pass through the technical decontamination corridor to ensure all contaminants are washed off of the responders during a hazardous materials exercise March 16, 2016, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Members from the fire department, explosive ordnance disposal unit, bio-environmental engineering and emergency management participated in the exercise to respond to a simulated reported explosion inside a building and safely inspect the area of any hazardous material. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jared Mumma/Released)

ATLANTIC OCEAN Deployment

ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 02, 2016) Sailors practice carrying a casualty during a drill aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Wasp is deployed with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleets areas of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Wilkes/Released)