HAI/DAN SWEET
Coast Guard aircraft—but they cannot conduct hoist operations until they qualify for that role. First pilots are limited in their mission assign- ments—no night missions without a copilot—but they can fly with newer copilots. Te next upgrade is to aircraft commander, which means the pilot is qualified to perform all missions. Te role of onboard flight mechanic is a
jack-of-all-trades, simultaneously conversing with the pilots to execute the mission, operating the rescue hoist and supporting the rescue swimmer, and listening for any unusual sounds from the aircraft—all while working next to an open door, exposed to the elements. When the Coast Guard responds to an
emergency such as a sinking boat or to rescue someone stranded on the side of a cliff or lost in the forest, the rescue swimmer is the person who leaves the aircraft to conduct the rescue. Rescue swimmer training takes 16 weeks and is conducted over a 6-month period. Coast Guard rescue swimmers are in a
unique situation: they are part of a rescue team but perform nearly independently as soon as they leave the helicopter. Once out of the helicopter, the rescue swimmer communicates with the pilots and the flight mechanic primarily through hand signals. For more complicated issues, such as giving patient updates while performing medical work or providing a time frame to complete the mission, the rescue swimmer uses a radio. “We are trained to function on our own,”
says Aviation Survival Technician Petty Officer First Class (AST1) Rob Sullivan. “We will direct the whole [rescue] as we see fit in the best way possible, whether that’s on land, or on the side of the cliff, or in the water.” Much of Sullivan’s work involves rescuing
visitors who have fallen and injured themselves after climbing the cliffs along the Oregon coast to take pictures. “Te vertical-surface aspect is definitely unique compared to the other places that I have been stationed,” he says. As with the other crew members, the rescue
swimmer has a voice in whether to proceed with a mission, including once the rescue crew arrives on scene. “As swimmers, we have the final say as to
whether or not we’re going to go down,” says Sullivan. “I have never been in a situation where
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