HELICOPTER RESCUE TECHNIQUES Civilian Public Safety and Military Helicopter Rescue Operations National SAR Academy Training Manu al This page intentionally blank Helicopter Rescue Techniques Civilian Public Safety and Military Helicopter Rescue Operations First edition October 2013 This training manual has been prepared by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service for the National SAR Academy (NSARA). As a publication of the federal government the text within this manual is not copyrighted under the copyright laws of the United States, however this manual does contain copyrighted images and illustrations. Such material is protected by United States Copyright Law and may not be reproduced without the express permission of the owner. Written by Ken Phillips, Branch Chief of Search and Rescue, National Park Service (NPS). The author is extremely grateful for the technical assistance of numerous individuals within the helicopter rescue community for their personal insight and suggestions. This includes; Cedric Smith, Engineer with CMC Rescue and helicopter SAR technician with Santa Barbara County SAR; Jim Frank, founder of CMC Rescue for his skill as an editor; Casey Ping, Program Manager with Travis County Starflight; Greg Sanderson, Firefighter/Paramedic and Helitac Standardization Coordinator with Los Angeles City Fire Department Air Operations; Diana Byrne for her editing. Additional contributions were provided by U.S. Park Police Aviation Unit, Yosemite SAR (YOSAR), Dean Ross, NPS Deputy Chief of Emergency Services, John Evans, NPS Park Ranger, Michael Peitz, Interagency Aviation Officer (USMC ret), Will Smith MD, and the staff of the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center, California. All images credited as noted. All copyrighted images reprinted with permission. The use of commercial products and trade names is for illustrative and educational purposes only and does not constitute an official endorsement by the National Park Service. Cover photo: Helicopter short-haul rescue of an Austrian climber on the 3’000 foot El Capitan Nose Route at Yosemite National Park (CA). During the third day of his ascent on September 26, 2011, the climber, who was 2,000 feet above the floor of Yosemite Valley, clipped an etrier, a short ladder of sewn webbing, to a metal nut wedged in a rock crack. As he stood with his weight on the etrier, the nut pulled loose and he sustained a fall, being caught by his belay safety line. During the fall, the etrier became wrapped around his thumb, amputating the digit. Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) personnel Dave Pope and Jeff Webb were inserted to the scene, in order to extract the injured climber beneath Helicopter 551 (Bell 205A-1) helicopter being piloted by Richard Shatto with assistance from helicopter crew chief Eric Small. NPS Photo by Dov Bock. WARNING Helicopter rescue involves unique hazards, which can be fatal. This manual contains information on specialized rescue techniques, and is intended for use as a part of a training course involving closely supervised field training with qualified instructors. A person cannot become proficient in helicopter rescue by only reading this manual. Every rescue situation is unique, requiring size-up and decision-making skills gained through personal experience. Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 6 When to Use a Helicopter ......................................................................................................... 6 Weather and Nighttime Limitations ......................................................................................... 10 Night Rescue Operations by Helicopter ............................................................................... 10 Preplanning and Mission Planning .......................................................................................... 12 Risk Management Process ...................................................................................................... 15 U.S. Coast Guard and Operational Risk Management ........................................................ 16 GAR Risk Assessment Model .............................................................................................. 17 Public Aircraft Regulations- FAA ............................................................................................. 19 Public Aircraft ....................................................................................................................... 19 Rotorcraft External Load Operations- Public Aircraft ........................................................... 19 Mission Management .............................................................................................................. 20 Flight Following .................................................................................................................... 20 Crew Resource Management .............................................................................................. 20 Communications ...................................................................................................................... 21 Five Communication Responsibilities for All Personnel: ...................................................... 21 Hand Signals ........................................................................................................................ 22 Using Direct Statements ...................................................................................................... 22 Briefing Personnel ................................................................................................................ 24 Multi-Tasking ........................................................................................................................ 24 Landing Zones ......................................................................................................................... 25 Rotor Wash .......................................................................................................................... 26 Hot Loading .......................................................................................................................... 27 Aircraft Weight and Balance .................................................................................................... 28 Load Calculation .................................................................................................................. 28 Helicopter Rescue Crew Configuration ................................................................................ 30 Helicopter Flight Characteristics and Limitations ..................................................................... 31 Helicopter Aerodynamics ..................................................................................................... 31 Ground Effect ....................................................................................................................... 32 Autorotation.......................................................................................................................... 32 Translational Lift................................................................................................................... 33 Density Altitude .................................................................................................................... 33 Hover Ceiling ....................................................................................................................... 33 Center of Gravity .................................................................................................................. 33 Helicopter Landings ................................................................................................................. 33 Slope Landings .................................................................................................................... 34 One-Skid Landings .............................................................................................................. 34 Toe-In Landings ................................................................................................................... 34 Hover Landings .................................................................................................................... 35 Power-On Landing ............................................................................................................... 35 Basic Helicopter Safety ........................................................................................................... 35 Preflight Briefing ................................................................................................................... 35 Safety During Helicopter Operations .................................................................................... 35 Personnel Protective Equipment ............................................................................................. 36 Personal Preparedness ....................................................................................................... 39 In-Flight Emergency: Survival Plan Checklist ....................................................................... 39 Emergency Water Ditching Survival Training ....................................................................... 39 Patient Care and Transport Considerations ...........................................................................