This last April members of North Shore Rescue’s Human External Cargo* (“HEC”) team attended their annual recertification in the Pemberton Valley along with Talon Helicopters, our team’s primary air carrier. Although members of the HEC team train much more than annually, the team puts on this workshop to ensure that all team members are current on the equipment and the various techniques related to being a HEC technician.
At the recertification, members spent the entire day working around, and under, the helicopter utilizing our Transport Canada approved HEC kits. The evenings and mornings were filled with lectures and skill stations. This is, in essence, a three-day immersion to ensure top performance and consistency between members.
During this recertification, members were also required to review and practice critical medical skills related to working as an HEC tech. These skills included the use of the AutoPulse (automated CPR device), CPR/AED, bleeding control techniques, splinting, and patient packaging.
* The HEC system allows up to 1100 lbs to be flown into or out of the field on a line suspended below the helicopter. This versatile system allows flexibility in aircraft configuration between the search phase and rescue phase, providing a fast and safe way of inserting personnel into remote locations and extracting the same.
What follows is a gallery of various pictures from the recertification course:
