Press Release from Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay:

A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin from Sector Humboldt Bay rescued a hiker from Big Flat who was severely dehydrated as a result of illness.

At 7:30 a.m. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received notification from CalFIRE that a female hiker was suffering severe dehydration after becoming sick overnight. Her party was extremely well prepared for the unforeseen: they had radios and emergency signaling devices on hand and marked several landing zones for the eventual arrival of the helicopter. This effort on their part greatly assisted in the woman’s eventual evacuation.

Coast Guard Helicopter 6606 launched from Sector Humboldt Bay at 8:58 a.m. and arrived on scene at 9:28 p.m. The crew immediately located the woman’s party, landed, and disembarked the rescue swimmer to evaluate the patient. After a quick examination, the woman boarded the aircraft. An additional family member was then loaded into the helicopter to accompany the patient to the hospital.

With the two women onboard, the helicopter departed for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Eureka, which had been notified of their arrival by the Sector Humboldt Bay command center. The crew arrived at 10:20, deplaned the hikers, and then returned to the Arcata airport.

The helicopter aircrew was composed of pilots Lieutenant Keith Roberts and Lieutenant Matt Fetzner, Flight Mechanic Petty Officer Derek Hietala and Rescue Swimmer Petty Officer Ryan Carr. The command center personnel who prosecuted the case were Petty Officer Casey Judd and Petty Officer Josh Griffin.