Climbers & Helis

Phil Broscovak wrote: So here is a question I would like to present. What is the proper way for a person on the ground to signal the heli-crew that they are needed? Apparently, since we didn't run amok like a frantic victims, the flight crew was somewhat confused and flew off after their first recon to ask someone where we were. When the chopper approached the first time that evening I calmly illuminated myself then indicated with clear, large arm jestures the location of the accident victim. The pilot understood and flew up to survey their position. I didn't know til later that night that the chopper had landed at the Oak Creek parking lot to ask someone else where we were. What is the correct signal to say "HELP" to a rescue chopper?

Doug Hemken wrote: "My two experiences with helicopter rescue are that they do a fly-by to have a look at the scene before they try to put someone down. Keep in mind that when an SAR team is called out, they have no idea whether the situation as initially described to them is accurate. Experience quickly teaches them this. Things can be a lot worse than they are initially led to believe - they have to be prepared for anything. But the situation can also be a lot better than they are led to believe. Ask Larry about the time he turned down a perfectly good helicopter ride from near the top of Mt. Wilson. I'm sure it was disconcerting to have them seemingly respond to your signals by taking a look, and then scooting out of there. And even more disorienting to hear that they were asking if anyone even needed a rescue. But, without being there, I would say on the face of it that what you describe could just be prudent SOP."

Phil Broscovak wrote:"So this is what I found out. The International signal to summon a helicopter for assistance is to stand with both arms over your head in a vee. You want to resemble a capital letter Y. If you do not need assistance then you stand with one arm up and one arm down at an angle across your body. You want to resemble a giant computer back slash. Be aware that not everyone in the rescue biz comprehends these signals. Not yet anyway. Hope this helps. Mostly I hope you never have to use them. Peace, philo.

OK – In this topic I want to address what Phil’s concerns were & I thought these three post quotes were most relevant to what happened to you in NV & I didn’t want to pound a topic of Phil’s friends. The end result of this being to help other climbers (& I really hope to prevent the incidents that have happened in our state); if some of the other more qualifieds want to chime in great; I’m no expert, but the following is my impression from instruction.

First, I want to say that what is going on in with the Vegas team and having them be an accredited MRA team that is supposed to have peer review, and what Vegas does for SOP (standard operating procedure) is not typical any more for mountain backcountry rescue. The reason being is that using air support transport is the most dangerous aspect of any backcountry rescue & doing it without ground support just compounds a potential problem in my opinion. Again, I’m no expert, & this paragraph is a vent, but it seems to me they are using a mild & low altitude climate in their air operation to the point of overconfidence in the 4 required steps to evacuating a subject: Locate, Access, Stabilize, & Transport. It seems to me Vegas jumps into Transport & does it without using ground support. Just about everyone else in backcountry rescue has found out the hard way, placing a heli into a situation without assessing the LZ’s (Landing Zone): terrain, wind (mainly the difference between sustained & high gusts and direction at the LZ), weather, access, and patient location & transport logistics is an SOP that gets reviewed.

Second, what can we do when we need aid as climbers? Again, as I stated in Phil’s post topic, climbers should not be put in this position at all, this is a ground personnel situation to be performed by ranked rescue members who are trained & talking/identified to the pilot on their headset radio. But here are the basics: don’t wave your hands above your head, that’s a wave-off that will tell the pilot to abort a landing (unless an abort landing is necessary, then wave like bloody murder). Stand with your back to the wind with your arms straight out telling the pilot this is the LZ, land here facing me my back is to the wind. How can a climber assess a good LZ, winds, & make adjustments to the heli without experience? You can’t & you can't communicate with the pilot. This is why sending a heli “blindly” in is a bad deal. What helps Vegas is low altitude & high power equipment performance, but this lends itself to overconfidence.

The response is they have done this without any serious incident many times & without ground support. Yes, so did a number of other mountain rescue teams in the past.

Signals, as far as representing a “Y”, that looks to me like a partial sign between wave-off, or a move upward, or move forward. As far as representing a “backslash” – that looks to me like a partial sign for the start of releasing the sling load.

I guess whatever I write here it won’t make much difference because the pilot will do what he feels is safe anyway and it seems like the team has their SOP irrespective. And, yes, the fly-by or high level pass is not out of the ordinary; regardless of what the ground personnel might signal.

So, If you do get a landing from a heli (other than a Chinook) stay in front to the front-side of the craft, and always maintain eye contact with the pilot as you are planning to go into the main rotor area (usually 100' perimeter). Never run to or away from a heli. Do not approach from the rear (totally reverse for a Chinook, always from the rear, these are the big-ass copters with 2 main rotors). On my jobsites, I employ heavy equipment all the time; the common sense rule is eye contact with the equipment operator if approaching a machine in operation – So for the heli, this is the pilot; they may need to lift off the ground immediately to stabilize, so don’t run into the heli to tell them your friend needs help.

Wait for the pilot’s OK, move steady, crouched, no equipment in the air that might hit the rotor (objects slung over your shoulder), from the front to front-side, from a lower elevation, don’t smoke, don't throw anything, don’t go past the rear of the landing skid when approaching from the front-side, and don’t approach from the rear. (Again, a Chinook is opposite, it’s a rear load)

If the more qualifieds read this and want to give me shit; go ahead. I’m just trying to help climbers not become part of an incident from something that looks to me is not typical SOP for other mtn rescue teams. The fact that climbers calling 9-11 because their buddy is seriously hurt and are then being put to use as ground personnel for Access is bullshit as far as I’m concerned.

Thank You Mark for your post. I for one very much appreciate your perspectives on this issue. That experience in Oak Creek was a wake up call indeed. I am no stranger to helicopters but that was some tight flying! I fully expected them to make at least one fly by and probably three. I knew that waving hands over head was a "wave off". My "air traffic controller" signals were obviously understood. But, I think my running for cover when they flew in CLOSE at my head level confused them. I ducked in behind the tower of rock that leads towards Johnny Vegas and Beulah's Book and hoped that the random wind gusts wouldnt drive the bird into the rocks or trees. Man it was CLOSE and that is no exageration. During an injury emergency time is of the essence, but safety is paramount. I agree that the Vegas SAR turns to air rescue efforts to quickly. I agree they are likely lulled into complacency due to the ease of flying in low altitudes and mostly mild climates. Hubris is often accompanied by Nemesis. I hope we don't see one of those choppers go down in splintering flames one day. I know I was really glad it didn't happen to us.

No problem, Phil. I hope I'm not coming across as the almighty all-knowing expert, because I'm not. Your situation was still probably a chopper-go.

It's just that in CO, the terrain is always suspect with winds, avy conditions, & LZ access that Flight For Life, CAP, the MRA teams, & Responders constantly review what is needed to make an evacuation a non-incident, and it's ground support assisting the air. Air is extremely useful, though if there is any way to evacuate a subject on the ground, that is what seems to be the choice of method.

If there is a chopper-go situation, it will & should go. An exercise just simulated 9 subjects on a mountain pass with 4 chopper-goes & the system worked. The MRA teams, responders, & air in CO really have the backcountry covered. Although, do realize that a non-stable subject probably won't make it and that could probably be the driving concern with Vegas in that they want to be able to beat the odds without committing people in the field. But, when a chopper goes down with a subject that has an injury that could have been carried out on the ground, the entire picture always changes about what is important to help others in need of aid in the backcountry.

I know it sucks talking about our climbing partners as subjects, in part, because we all form bonds with those we climb with. But that is the reality of taking on acceptable risk with technical terrain.