Challenges of 'Helo Ops' Training Prepare Coast Guard Station St. Ignace Crew for Rescues
By Karen Gould

Station St. Ignace crew aboard the life boat during rescue training are (from left) Machinery Technician 3 Larry Washington, Operations Petty Officer Matt Reisinger, Seaman David Tam, Boatswain's Mate 1 Brian Huff, and Boatswain's Mate 3 Matthew Feldman.

Most people are not prepared for the intensity of having a helicopter hovering over their head, said Executive Petty Officer John Tribfelner of Station St. Ignace, which is why helicopter operations, or "helo ops" in rescue parlance, are more stressful than most of the rescue training received at the Coast Guard station.

Station St. Ignace trains about two times a week with the HH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Traverse City.

As the helicopter hovers about 20 feet above the boat, men and women from Station St. Ignace must perform the required rescue tasks while working with the helicopter crew.

Communication is visual, and often includes hand signals.

"It really is not a difficult task," said Chief Tribfelner of the boat crews' responsibilities. "It's the stress they have to get used to."

Propeller wash clouds the air as the HH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Traverse City hovers above the 47-foot motor life boat from Station St. Ignace. The flight mechanic holds the rescue basket line as he awaits the signal to hoist it back onboard the helicopter.

No words or advice can prepare a new crew member for the exercise, he noted. It is one training session that must be experienced first-hand.

"It's big time, hands-on training," he emphasized.

Jobs like this one, that require calm thinking under challenging conditions, are reasons he likes the Coast Guard.

"That's why I love my job," he said, "because of this kind of stuff."

It is a challenge to adequately explain to trainees, he said, that the sound of the helicopter is deafening and that they have to ignore the horizontal spray from the helicopter's propeller wash as it hits them in the face and soaks their clothing. The force of the wind from the helicopter blades can be intense, and requires extra balance and sometimes the need to hold onto something. Depending on wind and wave conditions, the rocking of the boat also can add to the stress of the operation. And while all of this is happening, he said, each crew member has to remain focused on their task.

U.S. Coast Guard Seaman David Tam of Station St. Ignace holds the trail line as the rescue basket is lowered from the helicopter to the deck of the life boat. The rescue training exercise took place in Lake Huron between St. Ignace and Mackinac Island Monday, July 7.

During search and rescue training Monday afternoon, July 7, the crew of five, including new trainee Seaman David Tam, Machinery Technician 3 Larry Washington, Operations Petty Officer Matt Reisinger, Boatswain's Mate 1 Brian Huff, and Boatswain's Mate 3 Matthew Feldman, secured life vests, gathered their gear and climbed aboard their 47-foot life boat.

The boat's purpose is rescue missions and it is designed to handle extreme weather conditions. The aluminum vessel can withstand a severe marine environment that includes 60-mile-per-hour winds and 20-foot seas. Neither was an issue Monday, as Lake Huron remained calm, with waves at about a foot and winds at five to seven knots from the west. The air was hazy and the water temperature was about 60 degrees.

Trainer MK3 Larry Washington guides new crew member Seaman Tam through the basket rescue maneuver. Both men wear safety gear, including life vests, ear plugs, helmets, goggles, and gloves as the helicopter hovers above them.

Training with the helicopter, said Chief Tribfelner, eliminates potential injuries during real rescue missions and allows new members to experience what happens before they are involved in a real rescue.

Before getting underway, safety rules are reviewed with the crew, including a reminder to stay with the boat if she rolls over, since the vessel's self-righting capabilities will return her to an upright position within 10 seconds.

The life vests have emergency equipment tucked in pockets, including a flash light, strobe light, and a safety whistle.

Operations Petty Officer Matt Reisinger, who is steering the boat, goes over assignments and the training plan. The helicopter, he told his crew, also will have a crew of four, including two pilots, a flight mechanic, and a rescue swimmer.

The plan is to have four basket drops to the aft deck, which will include two with a lead line. The weighted line is used in heavy seas to help safely deliver the basket to the boat. The basket is used to rescue people from the water. The helicopter then will move away from the boat and practice three rescue swimmer operations using Oscar, the Coast Guard's rescue dummy that wears a bright orange suit.

As the boat gets underway, radio communication between Petty Officer Reisinger and the incoming helicopter crew arranges the exercise to take place in Lake Huron just off the western shore of Mackinac Island.

The boat is prepared for the exercise. The crew is asked to secure all objects and to remove any loose items from the deck and stow them. The crew prepares by slipping on goggles to protect eyes from the spray and wearing fluorescent green earplugs to protect hearing from the roar of the helicopter engine. They wear red helmets. Crew members who will be training with the rescue basket pull on leather gloves with open finger holes. The gloves protect hands from burns by the lines that come down with the rescue basket.

"Safety is paramount," said Chief Reisinger. The boat and helicopter crews are concerned that the operation runs smoothly. Keeping the basket and rescue lead lines untangled and free of objects, he said, is a major priority.

The training is a mentorship program. MK3 Washington will train newcomer Seaman Tam. As the crew awaits the arrival of the helicopter, MK3 Washington explains what he will do during the first rescue basket drop. Seaman Tam will handle the second basket drop.

The helicopter approaches from the south and as it hovers above, a crew member can be seen working to slowly lower the basket to the deck of the boat. MK3 Washington and Seaman Tam reach for the basket and place it on the boat. They manage the lines and await a signal from the helicopter crew before releasing the rescue basket. Then it is slowly hoisted up to the helicopter.

When training is complete, the boat remains in place and ready to assist as the helicopter turns and flies to a position just south of the boat, hovers, and begins training onboard crew on swimmer rescues, which includes a crew member being dropped into the water to rescue Oscar. Once in the water, the crew member swims to the dummy and the helicopter moves overhead, lowering a sling that lifts both from the water and returns them to the helicopter.

Station St. Ignace, which handles aids to navigation and search and rescue missions, has 27 crew members with 14 responsible for land positions, and 13 members stand ready to serve in rescues.

Biscayne Bay Crew

Help Rescue

Bayview-Mackinaw Sailor

Crew from the St. Ignace based Biscayne Bay assisted in the basket rescue of a Bayview to Mackinac Island sailor around 2 a.m. Sunday, July 13. The 35-year-old sailor fell approximately 40 feet into Lake Huron while trying to untangle rigging aboard the 35-foot racing yacht Night Train. The unidentified man complained of leg and back pain and was hoisted by helicopter from the deck of the Biscayne Bay and transported to Alpena Regional Hospital.

Coast Guard Sector Detroit coordinated the search and rescue and the medical evacuation that took place in Lake Huron 31 nautical miles east of Harrisville.

A Coast Guard rescue helicopter arrived on scene, however, Night Train's damaged mast and rigging did not allow a safe transfer of the man from the sailboat to the helicopter.

Within 15 minutes, the 140-foot Biscayne Bay arrived to assist. The cutter deployed a small boat with an emergency medical technician aboard to assess the man's condition. The crew of the Biscayne Bay and the medical flight surgeon aboard the helicopter from Air Station Detroit agreed the man should be transported to a medical facility for further evaluation.

As the small boat returned to the Biscayne Bay, the seas had grown to three to five feet with winds at 20 knots.

Once safely on board, the man was hoisted to the helicopter, which then transported him to the hospital.

Night Train, which had 11 crew members, was nearly halfway into the race when the sailboat developed rigging problems. The crew member climbed the sailboat's mast to fix the jammed rigging when, for unknown reasons, he fell into the water. At that time, seas were estimated at three to four feet with the wind at 15 to 20 knots. The man fell clear of the boat and was wearing a life jacket.

A crew member from the sailboat radioed for help. Canadian Coast Guard in Sarnia received the initial distress call. Sarnia forwarded it to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit's Command Center, which launched rescue efforts.

As the sailboat attempted to recover the man, the loose rigging fouled the engine and delayed the recovery. Several nearby sailing vessels, including Liberty, Time Machine, and Canadian Olympia, rushed to aid in rescue efforts as the Coast Guard launched a rescue helicopter from Air Station Detroit and the Biscayne Bay, which was escorting the fleet, also was requested to assist in the rescue.

In the meantime, the crew of the Night Train was able to successfully get them man safely back on board.

This is the 84th Bayview Yacht Club to Mackinac Race and started Saturday, July 12, from Port Huron. The competing sailboats raced the 214-nautical mile course that rounds the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather buoy, 43 miles northeast of Alpena, and continues to the finish at Mackinac Island.

The Biscayne Bay escorted the fleet for this year's race. The boat is one of 10 Coast Guard cutters on the Great Lakes and is categorized as a harbor tug with icebreaking capabilities.