Nav Description

Events

Rescue Reports

2009

WATER/LAND RESCUES

01/02/2009- STAR Flight responded to a lakeside scene where a man had taken a fall from standing in an area at the bottom of a 200’ flight of stairs that decended a 400' cliff face. On scene ambulance crews requested STAR Flight due to extreme difficulty in removing patient from area. A rescuer was inserted by hoist. After assessing the victim and operational situation, the decision was made to recover the victim and rescuer via hoist. Both were relocated to the top of the cliff and the victim was transported to the hospital by ground ambulance.

01/04/2009- STAR Flight called to Mt. Bonnell in Austin for a victim who had fallen roughly 60 feet down the cliff face. Victim initially contacted by Austin EMS rescue personnel and found to be in cardiac arrest. STAR Flight deployed a rescuer to the scene and the victim was packaged into the Baughman bag and rapidly extricated, via hoist, to a suitable location for rendezvous with ground EMS units. The STAR Flight rescuer then accompanied the EMS unit and the victim on the short ride to a local trauma center.

01/19/2009- STAR Flight requested for an elderly patient who had fallen approximately 10 ft in a dry creek bed. Previous patient contact had been made by Austin EMS personnel, who requested a helicopter extraction due to difficult terrain. A rescuer was deployed via hoist and packaged the patient into a Baughman Bag. The rescuer and patient were then recovered by hoist and delivered to a secure area near a ground ambulance, which transported the patient to the hospital.

01/23/2009- STAR Flight responded to Mt. Bonnell in Austin for a victim that had fallen approx. 60 ft. down a cliff face. STAR Flight performed a search for the victim utilizing night vision goggles and directed ground based rescue personnel to the victim’s location. After contact with the victim, EMS requested STAR Flight to deploy a rescuer and extract victim via helicopter. The rescuer was inserted by hoist and packaged the patient into a Baughman Bag. The rescuer and victim were then both recovered by hoist and delivered to a road at the top of the cliff where they met with a ground ambulance crew. STAR Flight personnel then accompanied the victim and EMS crew to the local trauma center.

04/27/2009- STAR Flight responded to Lampasas County for two men who had become stranded with their vehicle in a flooded low water crossing. Though the men were in no immediate danger, they were surrounded by running water and STAR Flight was requested to extract the victims via hoist. A rescuer was delivered to the victims' location and they were individually hoisted out and secured into the aircraft. Then both men were flown to a safe landing zone. Neither man had any injuries and both declined medical attention.

05/28/2009- STAR Flight dispatched to Pace Bend Park for a victim who had fallen down a 20 ft. cliff and was in a difficult to access area. A rescuer was deployed via hoist and made contact with the patient and on-scene ground personnel. Due to rocky terrain and no quick access to the top of the cliff, the decision was made to extract the victim using the Baughman Bag. The rescuer and victim were recovered by hoist and a landing was made at the top of the cliff, where the victim was then loaded into the aircraft for the flight to the local trauma center.

06/01/2009- STAR Flight responded to a call near Canyon Lake for a person who had sustained a spinal injury jumping into shallow water. Canyon Lake Fire Department had secured the victim from the water and identified the need for the patient to be rapidly transported to a trauma center, but did not have a suitable landing zone nearby due to rough terrain. On arrival the decision was made to insert a rescuer via hoist. The patient was assessed and packaged into the Baughman Bag. The rescuer and patient were then recovered by hoist and taken to a nearby field, where the patient was loaded into the helicopter and transported to Brackenridge Hospital.

07/25/2009- STAR Flight was dispatched to Lake Travis for a 31 year old female who had been involved in a jet ski accident. Lake Travis Fire/Rescue and the Travis County Sheriffs' Office were able to quickly reach the victim and provide immediate support. On arrival, a STAR Flight rescue swimmer was hoisted to the victim and able to make a quick assessment of the patient. The patient was then secured to a floating litter and brought into the Lake Travis Fire/Rescue boat for transport to the shore, where they met with the aircraft. The patient was then transported to the local trauma.

08/30/2009- STAR Flight was requested to Reimer's Ranch County Park for a female who had fallen while rock climbing. STAR Flight arrived to find the patient being attended by staff from the Travis County Parks Office. A rescue was hoisted to to the scene and was able to quickly assess the patient and packaging her for a recovery with the hoist. The resucer and victim were then taken to a landing zone and loaded into the aircraft for transport to the local trauma center.

FIRE

04/23/2009 - STAR Flight assisted Lake Travis Fire Rescue in suppressing an escaped control burn that was directly threatening 8-10 structures. STAR Flight crews dropped 14 buckets of water in 30 minutes. Firecrews held the fire to 2 acres. Three houses sustained minor damage.

2008

WATER/LAND RESCUES

3/21/2008-STAR Flight responded to the rescue of an approximately 30 year old male caught in a recirculating hole below a low-head dam on the Colorado River. On arrival STAR Flight found victim able to keep head above water, but tiring and unable to escape hydraulic. A rescuer was hoisted to the victim and, despite turbulent water, secured the victim in a quick strop. The rescuer and victim were then moved to the shore where the victim was assessed and refused medical transport.

4/27/2008-STAR Flight participated in the rescue of a fallen wind surfer on Lake Travis. On arrival STAR Flight crew witnessed the victim make several unsuccessful attempts to recover. A rescuer was inserted by hoist and both rescuer and victim were hoisted into the aircraft. The victim was then turned over to ground EMS units.

6/1/2008-STAR Flight requested for a 25 year old female with severe back pain jumping from a 35 foot cliff into water and striking rocks below the surface. STAR Flight arrived to find victim on a rocky shoreline being tended by bystanders. A rescuer was inserted by hoist and quickly assessed the victim. The decision was made to transport the patient by boat to a ramp with a suitable landing zone where the patient was loaded into the aircraft and transported to the local trauma center.

6/15/2008-STAR Flight requested for a fallen climber at Reimer’s Ranch. STAR Flight located victim in care of Travis County Park Ranger. Decision made to land on top of cliff and rappel rescuer approximately 50 feet to victim’s location. Victim assessed and packaged for short-haul. Rescuer and victim extracted via short hauled to top of cliff where victim was loaded into the helicopter and transported to the local trauma center.

FIRE

2/25/2008- STAR Flight requested to assist in suppression of escaped controlled burn covering an area of approximately 10 acres. After location of a suitable water source, STAR Flight conducted a total of 16 drops onto the fire. The fire was sufficiently contained to allow ground units to begin direct attack.

3/7/2008-STAR Flight requested to aid in control of a fire covering approximately 50 acres and posing an immediate threat to multiple homes. A total of 29 buckets of water were dropped onto the fire, assisting in the saving of all of the threatened homes.

3/8/2008-STAR Flight assisted the Perdenales Fire Department with control of a brush fire moving toward multiple homes. On arrival to the scene STAR Flight provided aerial recon of area for Fire Department and subsequently performed a total of 15 water drops on a section of fire spreading toward local homes. The advance of this portion of the fire was stopped before reaching the homes.

3/14/2008-STAR Flight dropped 17 buckets of water onto a 500 acre grass fire to assist with control until larger aircraft arrived to continue airborne fire suppression.

6/2/2008-STAR Flight conducted multiple water drops on a fire in Bastrop County to slow its spread while awaiting arrival of larger fire suppression aircraft.

6/7/2008-STAR Flight requested to combat a brush fire threatening 2-3 homes. STAR Flight found adequate water source and performed 14 drops onto fire near houses and stopping its advance and assisting the ground units in bringing the fire under control.

07/07/2008- STAR Flight requested to provide air support for large fire in an area of mixed ranch land and homes in Williamson County. STAR Flight dropped a total of 41 buckets (approx. 5000 gallons) of water while additional air support was en route to scene. This fire eventually grew to over 1500 acres and involved the participation of multiple airtankers and helicopters. This was the first fire in Williamson County history to require the utilization of retardant-carrying air tankers.

07/22/2008- STAR Flight responded to a 5-10 acre fire in Hays County that had already destroyed several outbuildings. With limited resources on scene STAR Flight provided airborne reconnaissance of scene for ground crews and made 7 water drops on the fire.