On Sunday morning June 12th, Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC) received a request from the United States Coast Guard Section Baltimore to assist with the aerial evacuation of a male suffering from a medical emergency on board the motor vessel “Sea Brave”. The vessel was anchored two miles south of the Bay Bridge in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
Due to the technical nature of this rescue, a Helicopter Emergency Aerial Tactics (HEAT) Team from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department was activated. After determining the most appropriate location on the vessel, a member of the HEAT Team was lowered by the crew of Trooper 1 onto deck of the Sea Brave. Once on board, the HEAT Team member assessed the patient and began packaging for aerial evacuation. A short time later, the patient was safely lifted off the vessel by the crew of Trooper 2 using the helicopter rescue hoist. The patient was flown to University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
The HEAT Team program is a unique partnership that joins local fire department technical rescue teams with the search and rescue capabilities of MSPAC’s fleet of multi-mission aircraft. Through the years, the program has been called upon to assist with technical rescues throughout the state and has saved countless lives.
