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Sunday, July 15, 2001
Lifesaving baskets
Lifeguards learn to use copters for rescues
By Stephanie L. Jordan
Caller-Times

David Adame/Caller-Times

Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Petty Officer 1st Class Marc Galbraith instructs a local lifeguard on how to place someone in a helicopter rescue basket during a training exercise on Bob Hall Pier.

   Lifeguards for area beaches struggled against waves and rotor-blast from a Coast Guard helicopter Saturday to learn how to put someone in a rescue basket.
   It was the first time the Coast Guard in Corpus Christi had worked with a group of lifeguards, and organizers said the practice could save lives.
   "We've never done a hoisting practice before and we thought it would be a good idea," said Kevin Haddox, head lifeguard and paramedic. "We'd love for it to be an annual thing."
   Working with HALO-Flight
   Lifeguards have worked with HALO-Flight before because ambulances aren't supposed to leave the pavement and drive on the beach.
   "Usually it's rough out there," Haddox said. "We try to cover every emergency imaginable, but strange things happen out there."
   One time, a person paddled too far out in a raft that deflated because it had a hole in it, Haddox said.
   "People don't think of those things sometimes," he said.
   Earlier the better

David Adame/Caller-Times

Lifeguards stand ready to learn from Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Petty Officer 1st Class Marc Galbraith.

   The 16 lifeguards were briefed on what to do by Coast Guard members before they jumped off the end of Bob Hall Pier to swim to where a helicopter would hover.
   They were instructed to be sure to wait until the basket touched water so they wouldn't get a shock from it, wear goggles and stay clear of the cable that would hoist the victim to safety.
   Once the helicopter got into place, the metal basket was lowered and they practiced putting a dummy called "Rescue Randy" inside with Coast Guard rescue swimmers assisting.
   Rich Maest said before the practice that he was thankful for the opportunity to learn the assistance technique.
   The 40-year-old has been a lifeguard for about 20 years and said that every bit of training can make a different. One summer, he had 32 rescues while working on Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles.
   "A victim only has about an hour out there," Maest said. "The earlier you can get to the victim the better."


, Contact Stephanie L. Jordan at 886-3724 or jordans@caller.com

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