Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation 

Helicopter Emergency Longline Last Option (HELLO) 

Mission Definition: 

The HELLO mission is defined as transporting a critically injured person from an otherwise inaccessible location, 

using a helicopter longline. HELLO is considered a last resort option, when other methods are unavailable or 

cannot respond in the necessary time frame for life preservation. HELLO can be considered, utilizing 

available resources in the field, to perform such a rescue. When faced with this type of life-threatening situation 

HELLO should be performed by exclusive use helicopter programs if possible. The ultimate goal is to get a 

critically injured patient to definitive care (hospital) by the quickest means available. 

Issue: 

Until now the BLM has not had any guidelines in place for HELLO. HELLO has been performed to extract 

injured personnel when other methods were not available or did not meet necessary time frames. Fire and 

Aviation employees work in remote areas and when they are injured the agency should expend all reasonable 

options to get them to the appropriate medical care. Fire managers and firefighters have requested agency 

capabilities to extract injured firefighters when no other asset is available to accomplish the mission. The BLM 

has invested time and resources in developing multiple ways to deliver firefighters to incidents but has not 

committed the resources, time and money to develop strategies to extract an injured firefighter when no other 

options exist. 

The term Emergency Helicopter Extraction (EHE) has numerous definitions depending on the individual, has 

been around for many years and can be confusing. The missions that could be labeled EHE are STEP, Short 

Haul, Hoist and long line extractions. A new label needs to be developed for emergency extraction utilizing a 

long line that is the last option to extract an injured individual. This is not a developed operational program. It is 

the absolute last option that may save a life. 

Decision support tools or job aids have been created to assist a pilot, helicopter manager, incident commander, 

line manager, fire management officer etc.., to make good risk based decisions when requested to perform an 

emergency longline extraction. The utilization of these job aids and the acceptance of a mission request are not 

mandatory. These Job Aids were developed by helicopter managers to assist in determining if HELLO is the best 

option for a given situation and in making HELLO decisions. These job aids can be utilized to facilitate the 

discussions between pilots, managers, and line officers if they choose to utilize this extraction method. 

Key Points: 

• HELLO is considered a last resort option, to be used only for life threating situations. 

• Pre-planning between the HMGB and pilot may be completed before the incident occurs, not during a 

high stress and time critical situation. 

• Both the pilot and manager need to agree on activation of a HELLO mission only after careful analysis of 

the risks involved. 

• Used only to evacuate the patient to the nearest suitable landing area or appropriate ground unit. 

• 14 CFR Federal Aviation Regulations Part 133.31 Emergency operations: 

o (a) In an emergency involving the safety of persons or property, the certificate holder may deviate from the 

rules of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency. 

o (b) Each person who, under the authority of this section, deviates from a rule of this part shall notify the 

Administrator within 10 days after the deviation. Upon the request of the Administrator, that person shall 

provide the certificate-holding FAA Flight Standards District Office a complete report of the aircraft 

operation involved, including a description of the deviation and reasons for it. 
Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation 

Summary 

Job aids have been developed to assist helicopter personnel and pilots in making good risk based decisions on 

accepting or declining HELLO missions. It is important that aviation and operations personnel understand that 

HELLO missions are not mandatory and that no helitack program is required to utilize these job aids or accept 

HELLO missions. The BLM Fire Operations Group (FOG) and Fire Leadership Team (FLT) fully supported the 

development of these job aids. 

The following Job Aids are attached: 

• HELLO Decision Criteria 

• HELLO Go/No Go Checklist 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helicopter Emergency Longline Last Option (HELLO) 

DIVS/OPSC/FMO/IC/DUTY OFFICER Decision Criteria Checklist 

Decision Element Yes No 

1. Is there a confirmed life threatening injury? 

• Example of situations that may require Emergency 

Helicopter Extrication (EHE) 

a. Serious trauma - Examples include: 

o Patients with head and spinal injuries 

o Chest injuries 

o Blunt or penetrating abdominal injuries 

o Fractures of large bones 

o Full or partial amputations 

o Patients in shock 

b. Cardiac/Respiratory Conditions - Patients with 

cardiac/respiratory conditions may exhibit some or all 

of the following signs and symptoms: 

o Respiratory difficulty 

o Chest pain in jaw, down arm, back, etc. 

o Nausea 

o Cold, clammy skin (sweating) 

o Sudden collapse 

o Weak, rapid pulse 

c. Unconscious Patient 

d. Miscellaneous Conditions - Other conditions that may 

necessitate Emergency Helicopter Extrication via 

Longline: 

o Anaphylactic shock 

o Seizures 

o Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA’s) or strokes 

o Drug overdose 

o Poison ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption 

o Serious burns 

2. Has on-site emergency responder requested rapid 

evacuation of patient? 

3. Have all other options of extraction been considered? 

• Cutting a helispot 

• Walking/carrying patient to an existing helispot 

• Walking/carrying patient to a road 

• Do these options significantly increase risk to 

responders or injured person 

4. Have alternate air rescue (Military. Park Service, etc.) 

methods been pursued? 

5. Environmental hazards are manageable (fire, wind, 

sunset etc..) 

The Decision Criteria Checklist is a process to assess whether or not the situation warrants Emergency Helicopter Extraction via Longline. A 

“No” response to any element on the checklist indicates that further evaluation and/or consultation may be needed. 

Decision to Proceed Approved By: 

Signature may need to be completed after the fact; Verbal approval will be obtained before EHE is initiated. Verbal approval should be 

documented and attached to this form. 

Signature_____________________________ 

Name/Title_____________________________ Date/Time: ______/_______ 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helicopter Emergency Longline Last Option (HELLO) 

GO/NO-GO Checklist 

Incident Name: ___________________________ Location: ______________________________ 

Go, No-Go Checklist needs to be filled out jointly by Pilot and Helicopter Manager. 

GO NO GO 

Patient is in critical need of Advanced Life Support (ALS) attention and immediate 

extraction, due to life threatening condition 

Other evacuation options evaluated and rejected 

Communications checked and made known to all involved 

HELLO mission plan briefed, understood, and agreed upon by all 

Environmental hazards are manageable (fire, wind, sunset) 

Manifest completed 

Load calculation completed for the mission and current conditions (HOGE) 

Complete inspection of required equipment 

All items in the aircraft have been secured 

Spotter harness and tether ready in accordance with IHRG requirements 

Required length of longline is verified and is available 

If belly band is not available then Pilot/Mechanic should pull the helicopter circuit 

breaker that controls the electronic release for the belly/remote hooks. The 

mechanical release remains available in emergency situation. 

Longline electrical connections are unplugged and secure 

Risk Assessment reviewed 

ATGS briefed and ready to support HELLO mission (if applicable) 

All involved personnel have been briefed on operation 

HELLO/Medevac is in coordination (location, time, status) with incoming EMS/ALS 

Personnel at pick-up and drop off sites identified 

Incident Commander has approved the mission 

A “NO GO” response to any element on the checklist indicates a deficiency which must be addressed 

prior to the start of the mission. 

Pilot 

Signature Date 

Spotter Signature Date