NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. - A Search and Rescue (SAR) team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island rescued a 61-year-old man suffering from hypothermia in the vicinity of Heliotrope Ridge Trailhead near Mount Baker Wednesday morning, April 1, 2020.
The SAR crew received notification for the rescue operation shortly after 9 a.m. and launched 35 minutes later. The SAR crew received notification of the rescue request shortly after 9 a.m. and was airborne 35 minutes later. Clouds, rain, and snow prevented a direct route to the datum so the crew opted to fly below the ceilings around terrain and through the South and North Fork Nooksack River valleys to Glacier, Wash., reaching the man's location shortly after 10 a.m. The crew then rappelled a SAR Medical Technician to the scene to assess the survivor's condition and prepare him for transport.
A ground party made up of snowmobilers from the Whatcom County Snowmobile Association had discovered the man around 8 a.m. after he was reported missing the day prior by family members. They determined he was too critical for them to move on their own and requested assistance. The SAR crew transported the man to PeaceHealth's St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham without incident landing at the hospital at around 11 a.m.
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted eight total missions throughout Washington State this year, including 1 search, 1 rescue and 6 medical evacuations this year.
The Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60S helicopters from NAS Whidbey Island as search and rescue/medical evacuation (SAR/MEDEVAC) platforms for the EA-18G aircraft as well as other squadrons and personnel assigned to the installation. Pursuant to the National SAR Plan of the United States, the unit may also be used for civil SAR/MEDEVAC needs to the fullest extent practicable on a non-interference basis with primary military duties according to applicable national directives, plans, guidelines and agreements; specifically, the unit may launch in response to tasking by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (based on a Washington State Memorandum of Understanding) for inland missions, and/or tasking by the United States Coast Guard for all other aeronautical and maritime regions, when other assets are unavailable.
