SEATTLE — A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew medevaced a man from a fishing vessel approximately 180 miles offshore of Astoria, Oregon, Thursday.
A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-295 Kingfisher crew from 19 Wing Comox in British Columbia, provided assistance overhead with weather reporting and communications.
Watchstanders at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria, British Columbia, received a call shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday from the commercial fishing vessel about a Canadian crew member experiencing a medical emergency. At the time, the vessel was approximately 300 miles west of Astoria.
The watch officers in Victoria then notified personnel at the U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District Command Center in Seattle of the emergency.
U.S. Coast Guard crews conferred with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. The watchstanders established regular communications with the vessel’s crew to monitor the patient's status as the vessel proceeded east to get closer to shore.
Once the vessel was in a safer area for a medevac, a helicopter crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria was dispatched aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk.
The Jayhawk and Kingfisher crew arrived on scene around 2 p.m. The man was safely hoisted by the helicopter crew and brought to Air Station Astoria at 4 p.m. where he was transferred to EMS to receive a higher level of care.
“This rescue highlights the interoperability and mutual support between Canada and the United States in maritime Search and Rescue operations,” said Cmdr. Chelsey Stroud, U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator.
“When a Canadian mariner needs urgent help far from home, our U.S. Coast Guard partners answered the call,” said Capt. KP Brar of the Royal Canadian Air Force. “With support from the 19th Wing, this mission shows how trusted allies work together to save lives. Our SAR professionals train side-by-side for missions like this.”