— from Mike Welding, Public Affairs Officer, NAS Whidbey —
A Search and Rescue (SAR) team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island conducted a Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) early this morning [January 5, 2015] for a woman from Friday Harbor who suffered a heart attack.
The SAR crew of five took off at 5:10 a.m. to airlift the 66-year-old woman from Friday Harbor Airport to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Bellingham, Wash.
“The crew today did an exemplary job during the course of the flight,” said Lt. Cmdr. James Thompson, Search and Rescue Mission Commander. “All crewmembers communication and meticulous attention to detail allowed this flight to be successfully and more importantly safely conducted during extremely challenging and rapidly changing weather conditions.”
Last year, NAS Whidbey Island SAR launched on 18 search and rescue missions and 10 medical evacuations, resulting in 47 lives saved.
The Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60 helicopters from NAS Whidbey as search and rescue platforms for the EA-18G aircraft as well as other squadrons and personnel assigned to the installation. The base also has an agreement to assist Washington State with medical evacuations and search and rescue activities.
