MSP Medivac takes to the air
Maryland State Police Aviation Command hoisted a patient who was suffering from a medical emergency off of a cruise ship Tuesday, October 29, 2019, in Queen Anne’s County.
At approximately 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Maryland State Police received a request for assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard to hoist a patient suffering from a medical emergency aboard a cruise ship in the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland State Police Trooper 6, based in Easton, Maryland, was dispatched to the cruise ship Aida Luna’s, which was located in the Chesapeake Bay south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Kent Island.
The helicopter crew configured Trooper 6 for an aerial hoist operation and arrived overhead the cruise ship at approximately 10:25 p.m. The pilots maneuvered the AW-139 helicopter into position approximately 120 feet above the deck of the cruise ship and 220 feet above the water line. A state police flight paramedic was lowered to the deck of the ship to rendezvous with the patient and prepare for extrication.
After the patient was assessed and placed into the secure hoisting device, both the patient and flight paramedic were hoisted up to the helicopter. Once the patient was secured inside the aircraft, Trooper 6 was able to transition to its medevac role and transported the patient to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970, and operates a fleet of ten helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search & rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement agencies, and our partners at the United States Coast Guard.
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