Riverside County Fire Department

CDF Air Rescue Ryan Copter 301

Did you know that your Helitack, Hemet-Ryan Copter 301 is the first CAL FIRE helicopter outfitted with a rescue hoist? This program is possible through the cooperative efforts of the Riverside County Fire Department, the CAL FIRE Aviation Management Unit and a plan.

In January 2005, Staff from Ryan presented a proposal to the Chief for the purchase of a rescue hoist, costs of modification to N491DF – along with both spare Super Hueys and an outline for curriculum development, training, and implementation with the intent to see the program grow statewide.

Now for the details:

The Goodrich Internal Removable Hoist was selected over other models and manufacturers for several reasons. The design is currently in use with a 30 plus year history with the United States military on the Bell UH-1 Iroquois and more recently incorporated onto the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk. And like the military, the option of removing the hoist at 168 pounds allows the pilot flexibility in not carrying the additional weight on missions when the hoist is not necessary. For the Fire Service, that equates to one additional firefighter inserted on the line and 20 much-needed gallons of water at every drop. When not required, the hoist is stowed on the Fuel Tender, keeping it minutes away during firefighting operations. Our local cooperators in San Diego, San Bernardino, and Ventura utilize the same model, all proving to be an excellent resource to this program.

Additionally, the weight capacity is the highest in the industry at 600 pounds, again allowing the aircrew a wide latitude in tactical options in retrieval of patient and rescuer in one evolution, minimizing time spent in a hover and total time in transport to the best medical care.

Adaptation to our UH-1H airframe required hardwiring of the power supply and the incorporation of the radio mixer box to a central overhead cannon plug. The hard point mounts utilized on the floor and ceiling for all four stations are standard within the CDF helicopter fleet, overall making this hoist the most capable, durable, and cost effective choice.

Initial curriculum development involved the input from our cooperators throughout southern California, primarily Los Angeles City Fire, Los Angeles County Fire, and the United States Coast Guard. The Pacific Area Command, with over 4,000 search and rescue missions conducted last year in the most extreme environments’, committed their lead instructors from the Los Angeles and San Diego Sectors to conduct the final review of the CDF Rescue Hoist Operations Manual which now can be found published on the Department’s Intranet.

This program was developed in conjunction with the Departments and Agencies listed above; however, the Manual was completed with time and commitment of every firefighter assigned to Ryan over the past year. CAL FIRE’s success in development and implementation of the program could be possible without their input, commitment and overall teamwork. Good job Crew 301, now get to work!

In summary, every Company Officer has the option of ordering this resource to their incident; it is simply a tool in the toolbox to best serve our communities.

If you serve in an area with potential for a high angle rescue or want to know more, please contact us at Ryan to schedule a training day.