On Jan. 12 at approximately 4:10 p.m. the Blackpool Fire Department received the first call for a nighttime helicopter air ambulance landing at the temporary helipad which is located outside of Clearwater in Blackpool next to the fire hall.
In order for this to be a successful landing site to be ready at any time the Blackpool heli-team of firefighters are specially certified in this type of pad maintenance, lighting and transfer. The certification is an annual training qualification.
The actual landing took place at approximately 5:30 p.m. and Blackpool Fire chief Mike Savage was pleased with the success of the landing, saying “The helicopter pilots were very impressed by how well prepared we were and how smoothly everything went on Friday night.”
Savage described the manoeuvre, adding, “Every year we do an annual refresher through B.C. Ambulance that entails the proper preparation and protocols for landing one of their Medevac helicopters in a landing zone. We keep the area plowed in the winter and before any landing we sweep the area prior to the landing to ensure there is no debris or anything that would fly up and affect the helicopter in any way.”
Savage explained there must be no one in the area and the team makes sure everything is safe and ready to go.
“Particularly at night, we have to have a truck in place to delineate the power lines with lights along the west side of the road and the pad. The truck actually shines seam lighting that delineates the power line and we shine one light forward towards the edge of the fire hall on the dark side by the flag pole. We have four corner strobes that work with the pilots’ night vision gear that are placed out at the four corners of the pad,” said Savage.
He explained that two trained members take their positions with landing wands just before they make a call to the helicopter minutes prior to landing so they know the pad is safe and where the hazards are or not.
“Once the all clear is given by our ground crew and that we are ready for them, they tell us they are on final decent. Then it’s up to them whether they land or whether they wave off.”
There are four air ambulance team members on board the craft: two pilots and two medevac attendants. A B.C. ambulance is waiting for the helicopter to transport the medevac duo to Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital to receive the patient for transfer into the ambulance and driven back to the pad in Blackpool.
“We were a little nervous being this was the first night landing we’ve done and we wanted to make doubly sure everything worked as planned. It all went very smoothly and the pilots were really impressed. Our extensive training really paid off.”
The pilots remain with the helicopter and especially during this severely cold weather, Savage emphasized the need to keep the craft warmed and ready for receiving the patient as soon as the ambulance arrives back from the hospital with the medical attendants.
“This had to be someone in need of serious medical attention because they don’t come in with a medevac unless it’s warranted,” said Savage. “Our team provided a generator to keep the helicopter consistently warm while waiting for the patient to arrive for transfer into the aircraft. This would be a 30 minute flight in comparison to a long drive in an ambulance on icy roads tonight.”
