BOISE, Idaho - For the second time in five days, the Idaho Army National Guard’s State Aviation Group helped Custer County Search and Rescue officials rescue and transport an injured hiker from Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountain Range.
On July 10, a UH-60L Black Hawk flight crew from Detachment 1, Company G, 1st of the 168th Aviation Regiment, transported an injured hiker near Lowman to Smiley Creek, where the patient was transferred to an Air St. Luke’s helicopter for further treatment.
On July 6, a different flight crew from the same unit assisted Custer County Search and Rescue with the rescue of an injured hiker near Thompson Peak, the mountain range’s highest point.
“Small rural counties have limited resources, so the response of Idaho Army National Guard helicopters for rescue operations in our rural, remote areas is crucial to lifesaving and recovery efforts,” said Custer County Sheriff Levi Maydole.
On July 10, the flight crew flew to the mountain range, located the hiker and transported him to an exchange site with a waiting civilian helicopter in approximately 20 minutes. The hiker had been reported as being immobile, in and out of consciousness and urinating blood. Using the UH-60L’s hoist, a medic, Sgt. Jake Brown, was lowered to the patient and the two were hoisted back into the aircraft.
The flight crew comprised pilots Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kyle Pearl and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Wes Kania; crew chief Sgt Brad Stock; and flight medics Sgt. 1st Class Jared Gilstad and Brown. Gilstad also participated in the July 6 rescue.
“We train a lot as a unit for these missions,” said Brown, a part-time Guardsman and flight nurse for Life Flight Network. “It’s really rewarding to actually go out and do it for real.”
The Idaho Army National Guard’s UH-60L Black Hawks and LUH-72 Lakotas are among the only hoist assets in the state. The hoists, combined with the aircraft’s capabilities and the experience of the State Aviation Group’s pilots and medics make the Idaho Army National Guard a partner in emergencies.
“The benefit for Idaho is that there are multiple assets that officials can pick from depending on the conditions presented,” said Col. Granger Amthor, Idaho Army National Guard State Aviation Group commander. “Local emergency medical services’ helicopters conduct 90 percent of rescue missions. The Idaho Army National Guard is there when the complexity is so great that we can use military assets to affect a positive outcome.”
The UH-60L Black Hawk can operate in extreme heat at high altitudes in Idaho’s wilderness while carrying a ropes rescue team or additional medical personnel.
During the July 6 rescue, the flight crew transported the Custer County Search and Rescue’s ropes rescue team to a position on a mountain where the team could move an injured hiker to a location more suitable for recovery.
“We are incredibly proud of the skill and professionalism our Soldiers displayed during these rescues,” said Maj. Gen. Tim Donnellan, adjutant general of Idaho and commander, Idaho National Guard. “There is no better example to show why The National Guard is critical to the United States and the Department of Defense. The training our Soldiers and Airmen receive and the skills they develop to fight and win our nation’s wars prepare us to assist with the most difficult challenges we face at home.”