A Maryland State Police helicopter crew rescued three passengers from two distressed boats in the water off Anne Arundel County last night.
Shortly after 9:30 pm, the Anne Arundel County Emergency Operations Center received a distress call from a boater who was offshore near Shady Side. The caller informed the Operations Center that there were two vessels taking on water and three passengers were stranded on a marshy shoreline. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department requested the assistance of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC) to locate the boaters.
Trooper 2, the Command’s helicopter stationed at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, was immediately dispatched. Once on-scene, the crew located the three boaters in a marshy area near the shore, just east of Deep Creek. The aircrew was able to direct Anne Arundel County Fire Department boats to the location, but due to the shallow water, rescuers were unable to proceed any closer. As a result, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department requested Trooper 2 perform an aerial rescue.
The crew of Trooper 2 prepared the installed hoist system and rescue basket aboard the AW-139 aircraft. All three passengers were successfully hoisted from the marsh, secured inside the aircraft, and transported to Deale Elementary School where they were transferred to Anne Arundel County Fire Department for further evaluation.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970 and operates a fleet of ten AW-139 helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland. Each aircraft provides coverage 24/7/365 to Maryland residents and visitors. The MSPAC missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of the missions relies heavily on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement agencies, as well as partners at the United States Coast Guard and the United States Park Police.
