Day 29 (1/29/11) - Trooper 3

Since today was Mike's final shift as a training medic at Trooper 3 in Frederick, he invited us to visit the hangar for a tour of the helicopter.  I'm not sure who was more excited, Mike or Ryan.  I wonder if Ryan realizes that few people enjoy the same level of access as he does.  I'm willing to bet that few of his friends have ever gotten to help drive a police cruiser, turn on the light bar, or sound the siren.  And, I'm confident that few, if any, of them have gotten to sit in the cockpit of a Medevac helicopter, been hoisted in a Stokes basket, or enjoyed an extremely close view of takeoff.  Regardless, it was a fun visit, that was cut short by a mission, which was disappointing because we had to leave before our tour of the helicopter was finished, but neat in that we got to see Mike in action.   

Mike shows Ryan his red medic bag, which contains everything he might need for patient care.  Between the medic bag, the computer monitor that checks vitals, and the stretcher, I'm amazed that these medics can lug all that heavy equipment to a scene.  Guess adrenaline helps!  Ryan also gets to sit in the medic seat, which is where the driver of a car would normally sit.  In a helicopter, the pilot sits on the right side of the aircraft, where a passenger in a car would normally sit.  The flight medic is trained and expected to serve as the co-pilot and has dual cockpit controls.  Mike teaches Ryan about the function and purpose of each of the buttons, displays, and levers in the cockpit.

Mike has also been extensively trained in hoist operations.  During hoist rescue missions, the medic is strapped to the interior of the helicopter, and sits at the open door, instructing the pilot where to navigate or hover, and guiding the Stokes basket down to the victim and back up to the aircraft.  Guess you can't be afraid of heights for this job!  Ryan pretends to be a hurt person that the pilot and Daddy have to rescue.

During our visit, while Mike was showing us the rear of the helicopter where he tends to the patient, a call came in.  We were able to watch him spring into action, quickly putting in his earplugs, hopping on the tug and pulling the helicopter out of the hangar and onto the pad, performing fire guard (which is when he stands under the rotating rotors facing the helicopter watching it power up to be sure an engine doesn't catch on fire), climbing into the medic seat, and taking off!  Ryan was so excited to watch all this unfold.  Gavin was a little scared by all the commotion, especially the noise, but later pointed excitedly to the sky as the helicopter flew off into the distance.  Both boys insisted on watching the sky until the helicopter disappeared completely from view.