Then the emergency worker stabilizes the injured person and readies both of them to be reeled into the helicopter. The pilot also has the option of working the hoist. Colin Grissom, a LifeFlight physician, said rescue workers can attach a net, a bag or a seat to the steel hoist line for pulling up victims, depending on the type of injury. Jerry Morrison, director of LifeFlight, said his group has worked since 1993 to bring this service to Utah. Training began in 1999, with federal government clearance coming in November 2000.
Warm weather brings more cases of wayward hikers trapped on mountainsides or in canyons.
In some cases, injuries will occur in places where a helicopter cannot safely land. Starting up the hoist-rescue program required LifeFlight to wade through a sea of government paperwork, Morrison said. LifeFlight had to propose some standards for equipment when no rules had been established.