Categories of Rescue Accidents
In this program, we will break down rescue accidents into four categories. They are:
·
Aircraft
Accidents
·
Operator Error (including "Rescue Fever")
·
Equipment
Failure
·
Mother
Nature
Of course there is some overlap in these categories, particularly between aircraft accidents and
Mother Nature. Still, most accidents seem to have an overriding element of one of these four
categories.
At the conclusion, we will look at mechanisms to reduce the risk of these elements in mountain
rescue operations.
Aircraft Accidents
The most common accident that results in injuries or death in mountain rescues is the aircraft
accident. In particular, accidents involving helicopters are all too common. For a number of
reasons, helicopter operations in mountainous terrain pose special concerns, including:
1. Mountains are at higher altitude than sea level, which decreases air pressure making lift
more difficult.
2. Mountain weather is generally more unpredictable, and can change at a moment's notice
3. Flight operations over mountains leave less "margin for error" as the pilot is generally flying
above terrain that prohibits safe autorotation in the event of mechanical failure or other
emergencies
Ken Phillips, Search and Rescue Coordinator at Grand Canyon National Park, has studied
helicopter accidents in detail. In his recent study, he found that nearly 1 in 3 EMS/SAR helicopter
accidents involved a condition known as Inadvertent Meteorological Conditions (IMC) an aviation
term for bad weather and/or poor visibility.
Phillips also questions the "need for speed" that often results in the use of helicopters for patient
evacuation or rescuer transportation in mountain SARs.
According to a study in Prehospital Care and Disaster Medicine, "code three" responses
change patient outcome in less than 5% of all ambulance calls. If we initiate emergency
responses with rescue helicopters in an equally aggressive manner, then we are
undoubtedly putting aircrews at unacceptable risks, when it will have no bearing on the
outcome. Developing "helicopter discipline" is an essential skill of all personnel involved in
helicopter rescue operations.
Human error accounts for the greatest majority of all aircraft accidents and surprisingly
many of these accidents are initiated from outside the cockpit.
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