We are very fortunate in Colorado to have
Saint Anthony's Flight For Life as a resource, not only to pick up
our more serious patients, but also to help us get to where we need
to be quickly. The programs are called Avalanche Deployment and
Lift Ticket, and they are unique; nowhere else in the US do such
programs exist.
The Avalanche Deployment Program allows the helicopter to fly
an avalanche dog, a dog handler and a snow technician to the scene
of an avalanche within minutes of the 911 call. Those minutes are
critical for the possible survival of a buried avalanche
victim.
The Lift Ticket program allows rescuers, one at a time, to fly
in the helicopter to remote areas for the search or rescue of a
lost or injured backcountry recreationalist. Valuable time can be
saved when the patient or lost subject is many hours into the
wilderness by foot. This time can be critical to the subject's
survival, for example when there are serious injuries, or when
hypothermia is setting in. It's a one-way ride, however, so
rescuers must be prepared to hike back out.
SCRG members, and members of other mountain rescue teams
around Colorado, must go through regular training in order to use
this resource. For the dog handlers and snow technicians that
participate in Avalanche Deployment, they must train monthly. For
Lift Ticket participants, we must train annually. Our 2010 training
session was held just last week, and consisted of a presentation by
Flight For Life staff about safe helicopter operations, and then
individual practice getting in and out of the helicopter safely and
using the helmets and intercom system.
Our thanks to the Flight For Life staff! We know that many of
the subjects we've rescued would have had far less of a chance for
survival without the time you saved us.
Photo by Aaron Parmet.