How big does a short haul site need to be?

short haul extrication site
Example of a location that could serve as a short haul extrication site. (From the Rapid Lesson Sharing report)

While extricating an injured firefighter last month the firefighters on the ground were not sure how large a clearing was needed in order for a helicopter short haul rescue.

Short haul means moving people suspended from a helicopter on ropes or cable from the rescue location to some place where they can be safely unhooked from the rope or cable. The helicopter can land and the people who were unhooked are moved inside the helicopter to continue the flight.

A Rapid Lesson Sharing report was completed, along with a video. Here is the text, followed by the video:

Do You know what a Short-Haul Site Looks Like?

On August 10, 2022, Collin Hagan was struck by a tree while working to suppress the Big Swamp fire in central Oregon. Collin’s crew immediately requested short-haul. Crews hurriedly improved potential sites by falling trees and cutting brush to varying degrees but said they weren’t sure what was actually necessary for a short-haul site. When the helicopter arrived overhead, the short-haul crew noted that although Collin was in an unimproved site, it was suitable for extrication and moving Collin to the improved site was not necessary.

The short-haul crew described characteristics of a potential short-haul site:

Generally, zero improvement is required to perform a short-haul. With the right flight conditions, we need an opening in the canopy, about the size of a Volkswagen bug. If the terrain is steep, excavating a platform can make it easier once we’re on ground to package and depart smoothly with the patient.

The purpose of this learning product is to provide the field a general reference for what a short-haul site could be. Always remember that final site approval is ultimately up to the helicopter pilot and crew. An in-depth narrative from the perspective of the participants and other lessons learned are forthcoming as part of the Big Swamp Serious Accident Investigation.

The final narrative will be posted at: https://www.wildfirelessons.net/viewdocument/big-swamp-fire-hit-by-tree-fatality.

Fire Line Emergency Assist by Elko Helitack

firefighter injured helicopter extraction
BLM photo

In 52 minutes Elko Helitack and Corta Fire personnel assisted a firefighter on the line with a medical emergency and transported him to the local hospital. Elko Helitack was prepared to shuttle the firefighter off the line because of the certification to perform “Single-skid, Toe-in, hover Exit/Entry Procedures (STEP).” This was the first medical STEP extraction in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

firefighter injured helicopter extraction
Having the ability to use a helicopter during an emergency is a way to mobilize faster and decrease the time to the hospital. Photo by Greg Diemel, BLM.

This enhanced helicopter operation was developed by the BLM Salt Lake Helitack in response to the firefighter community’s need to insert firefighters in remote locations and assist in extracting injured firefighters. BLM Fire and Aviation program quickly recognized the added utility and now have four helicopter crews that are STEP qualified, Elko, Las Vegas, Salt Lake and Moab.

firefighter injured helicopter extraction
Corta Fire extraction August 2019. The crew and EMTs prepare to load the injured firefighter to the helicopter for quick transport. BLM photo.

Story and photos by BLM.

Forest Service conducts their first short-haul medevac

short-haul medevac

Above: File photo of a Teton Interagency Helitack crew member (on the left) and a Jenny Lake ranger training for short-haul with a packaged “victim” in Grand Teton National Park. NPS photo.

Last week on June 18 a U.S. Forest Service helitack crew conducted the agency’s first short-haul medevac. It occurred on the Trail Mountain Fire in central Utah when a firefighter suffered a leg injury. The location was very remote in steep terrain, which would have made it very difficult for firefighters to carry the victim out. The least hazardous option for extrication was helicopter short-haul in which personnel are carried as external cargo at the end of a rope. They can be flown to or extricated from a remote area.

short-haul extrication
The “X” marks the location of the June 18, 2018 short-haul extrication. USFS photo.

One of the resources assigned to the fire was the Teton Interagency Helitack crew and helicopter, usually based on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.

Thankfully the injury to the firefighter was not life-threatening. After being flown to a nearby drop point and transported by ground ambulance, the person was treated at a hospital and released.

While the National Park Service has been conducting short-haul medevac extrications for years, the concept is fairly new to the Forest Service. The Teton Interagency crew first became qualified in 2015.

Four other Forest Service helitack modules are also qualified:

  • Wenatchee Helitack, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, R-6;
  • Teton Interagency Helitack, Bridger-Teton National Forest, R-4;
  • Krassel Helitack, Payette National Forest, R-4;
  • Tucson Helitack, Coronado National Forest, R-3;
  • Central Montana Helitack, Helena/Lewis & Clark National Forest, R-1.

A National Park Service article has some of the history of interagency short-haul programs.