Trooper 6 in St. Mary’s County
The crew of Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 6 performed an aerial rescue of a patient from a cargo ship in the Chesapeake Bay on Friday morning.
Shortly before 5:30 a.m., on Friday, June 18, 2021, Trooper 6, based at Easton Airport, was dispatched to perform an aerial hoist of a patient from the Laurence Francoise, Breakbulk Carrier. The call was received from the United States Coast Guard, Sector Baltimore who requested the assistance of a Maryland State Police helicopter.
The 750-foot-long Breakbulk Cargo Carrier was underway passing Cove Point in the Chesapeake Bay. The Trooper 6 helicopter crew launched and arrived on scene in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Troopers helicopter crew configured for an aerial hoist operation while the pilots maneuvered the AW-139 helicopter into a steady hover position 50 feet above the vessel. The Trooper/Rescue Technician was lowered to the deck of the vessel to assess and prepare the patient for the hoist. The patient accompanied by the Trooper/Rescue Technician was hoisted up to the helicopter.
Once the patient was secured inside the aircraft, Trooper 6 transitioned to its medevac role and provided advanced level medical care while enroute to Peninsula Regional Tidal Health in Salisbury, MD.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970, and operates a fleet of ten helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on the cooperative effort of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Trooper 6 in St. Mary’s County
