1
00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:02,790
- There's a point
underneath the helicopter

2
00:00:02,790 --> 00:00:04,690
where things get a lot quieter.

3
00:00:04,690 --> 00:00:07,631
And I remember just how eerie it was.

4
00:00:07,631 --> 00:00:10,881
(dramatic piano music)

5
00:00:14,660 --> 00:00:16,650
We were able to locate the firefighters

6
00:00:16,650 --> 00:00:19,730
and they were pretty much
inside of the fire zone.

7
00:00:19,730 --> 00:00:21,210
- That was going to
present some challenges

8
00:00:21,210 --> 00:00:25,103
for our helicopter to perform.

9
00:00:31,270 --> 00:00:33,930
- They radioed down said,
"Hey, we don't have the gas."

10
00:00:33,930 --> 00:00:36,120
We're not going to be
able to get to anybody.

11
00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,800
There was a slight sense
of defeat that man,

12
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,603
we might not be able to do this.

13
00:00:48,340 --> 00:00:49,950
We also talked about doing

14
00:00:51,279 --> 00:00:53,140
a litter augmented double pickup,

15
00:00:53,140 --> 00:00:56,720
and it's where we could save a
lot of time in the evolutions

16
00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:01,340
by me going down with the
device, putting someone in it,

17
00:01:01,340 --> 00:01:03,890
coming back up, helping
to unload that patient.

18
00:01:03,890 --> 00:01:05,710
And then going back down with the device

19
00:01:05,710 --> 00:01:06,810
to get the second one.

20
00:01:07,690 --> 00:01:10,070
- Now we've got a plan.
We've got a real plan.

21
00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:11,840
We're the only ones who
can really execute this

22
00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,360
and save these guys because
they were definitely

23
00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,750
not going to make it through
the end of the night.

24
00:01:16,750 --> 00:01:18,260
- So we got back on scene

25
00:01:18,260 --> 00:01:20,950
and what was really made more challenging

26
00:01:20,950 --> 00:01:24,253
was the fire had spread
around three sides now.

27
00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:26,680
- The hookup was really quick.

28
00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:28,180
They helped me get all the straps

29
00:01:28,180 --> 00:01:30,033
and get him in there expeditiously.

30
00:01:30,900 --> 00:01:32,210
So once we got him to the door,

31
00:01:32,210 --> 00:01:34,630
we pushed him in, myself and Tyler

32
00:01:34,630 --> 00:01:36,400
hauled the litter inside the aircraft,

33
00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,090
got the litter reassembled, hooked up,

34
00:01:39,090 --> 00:01:40,640
went back down for the second hoist,

35
00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:42,540
and the second one was just as simple.

36
00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:46,220
Once we got about five feet

37
00:01:46,220 --> 00:01:47,750
below the rail of the helicopter,

38
00:01:47,750 --> 00:01:50,350
I remember having, I
expressly had the thought,

39
00:01:50,350 --> 00:01:52,920
like, I can't believe we just did this.

40
00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,770
- It was definitely a relief
to get out of the zone

41
00:01:55,770 --> 00:01:56,990
and pass the controls off

42
00:01:56,990 --> 00:01:59,100
and kind of just take a sigh of relief

43
00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:00,550
knowing we'd gotten them out.

44
00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,620
- This is why we joined the Coast Guard.

45
00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:05,900
The biggest honor is that these guys

46
00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:07,300
get to go home to their families

47
00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:09,283
because of the efforts of our crew.