>> NEXT WEEK IS NATIONAL SAFE BOATING WEEK. AND IF THERE IS ANY GROUP THAT KNOWS THE
DANGERS OF NOT STAYING SAFE ON
THE WATER, IT’S THE U.S. COAST
GUARD.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: IS IT THAT
THE TRUE? SO IN A SINGLE YEAR
THE COAST GUARD RESPONDED TO
NEARLY 20,000 SEARCH AND
RESCUE CASE IS SAVING NEARLY
3600 LIVES. JUST INCREDIBLE.
RICH, I KNOW THAT WENT ONBOARD
FACT OF THE COAST GUARD TO SEE
EXACTLY HOW THEY LITERALLY,
YOU KNOW, TRAIN FOR THESE
VITAL RESCUES TO SAVE LIVES,
CONSTANTLY TRAINING AND EVEN
BEFORE THEY TAKE OFF, THEY’RE
GOING THROUGH THE PLAN ON WHAT
THEY’RE GOING TO DO TO BE THAT
LIFELINE. THESE CREWS ARE
LITERALLY THE LIFELINE FOR
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN A LIFE OR
DEATH SITUATION.
>>RICHARD NUNN: THE RESCUES
CAN BE VERY TENSE AND
DIFFICULT IN SEVERE WEATHER.
BUT THE CREWS FOCUSED ON ONE
THING THAT IS GETTING THE
PERSON OR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
STRANDED BACK TO THEIR
FAMILIES SAFELY PERFECTING
THAT COMES WITH LOTS AND LOTS
OF PRACTICE.
>> IMAGINE SEEING THIS AS
YOU’RE STRANDED IN OPEN WATER.
A RESCUE SWIMMER COMING TO
PULL YOU TO SAFETY. BUT THIS
IS JUST A TRAINING EXERCISE.
THIS PARTICULAR SWIMMER DONNIE
WALKER HAS NEARLY 20 YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE UNDER HIS BELT OR
IN THIS CASE IS CLIPPERS. 2
PILOTS AND A FLIGHT MECHANIC
ARE ON BOARD. THE CHOPPER ALL
FOCUSED ON HITTING THEIR
TARGET. THEY DO THIS TRAINING
TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS WHEN
IT MATTERS. MOST LIKE DURING
THESE RESCUES LAST MONTH IN
GEORGIA, COAST GUARD AIR
STATION SAVANNAH CREWS HELPED
RESCUE AN 81 YEAR-OLD MAN FROM
A SINKING BOAT IN LITTLE BLACK
RIVER. AND 2 MEN WHO WERE
STRANDED AND SOUND AFTER THEIR
SAILBOAT RAN AGROUND. TIMES
CREWS USED A BASKET LIKE THIS
ONE TO PULL PEOPLE TO SAFETY.
IT’S CAPABLE OF HOISTING 600
POUNDS. BUT IN SOME RESCUES
THAT BASKET ISN’T AN OPTION.
AND THE RESCUE SWIMMER HAS TO
JUMP IN AND SWIM TO THE
PERSON. THE CREW CALLS THE
SURVIVOR. HE GOES IN WITHOUT
ANY EXTRA OXYGEN, JUST A
SNORKEL AND A SPECIAL SUIT.
>> THE GEAR DEADLY TAKE SOME
TIME TO GET USED TO.
>> HEAVIER SEES CAN BE A BIT
OF A GETTING TO THE BASKET.
THAT’S TYPICALLY WHEN THESE
RESCUES HAPPEN WHEN THE WATER
AND THE WIND IS WORKING
AGAINST THE RESCUE CREW. BUT
IT SAYS THIS PROCESS HAS
BECOME AUTOMATIC.
>> WE’RE ALWAYS JUST FOLLOWING
PROCEDURES. DOORWAYS GOING
THROUGH THE CHECKS. YOU KNOW?
FANS ON STRAPS TO TIE.
>>RICHARD NUNN: ALL OF THIS IS
SO CAREFULLY COORDINATED
PILOT. KELLY DAVIS IS THE
CREW’S PLANNING STARTS EVEN
BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE
AIRFIELD. WE DO A PRETTY
IN-DEPTH MISSION TRAINING.
EVERY TIME WE GO FLY. SO WE
KNOW THE WINDS ARE OUT OF THE
EAST WILL PROBABLY HAVE THE
BOAT ON AN EASTERLY TRYING TO
KEEP THE HELICOPTER INTO THE
WIND. AND THEN WE’VE GOT A
HOISTING PLAN AS WELL AS FAR
AS WHICH EVOLUTIONS WE’RE
GOING TO DO AND WHAT ALSO KEY
TO THESE MISSIONS AS EVERY
CREW MEMBER WILL TELL YOU OR
FLEXIBILITY AND COMMUNICATION.
THIS IS BRYSE KITCHEN. HE’S
THE FLIGHT MECHANIC.
>> IT’S SCENARIO IS COMPLETELY
>> LIKE I SAID, JUST PLAY IT
BY EAR. MAKE SURE EVERYBODY’S
COMMUNICATING INSIDE THE
INSIDE THE HELICOPTER.
>> ESSENTIALLY DRIVES THE
HELICOPTER FROM THE BACK MOST
OF TIMES WHEN YOU WHEN YOU GO
TO FOR THE SWIMMER YOU KNOW,
THERE COMES A CERTAIN POINT
WHERE THEY MIGHT DRIFT A
LITTLE BIT FARTHER UNDERNEATH.
THEN WITH THE PILOT CAN SEE.
SO, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR EYES
AND EARS AND THEIR VISUAL
REFERENCE OF, HEY, THIS IS
WHERE THE BASKET IS WHEN IT’S
GOING DOWN. THIS IS THE
BASKETS ON DEC. THIS IS WHERE
THE SWIMMER IS. THIS IS WHERE
THE SURVIVOR IS.
>>RICHARD NUNN: IN THE END,
ALL OF THIS COORDINATION AND
TRAINING COMES DOWN TO ONE
THING, SAVING LIVES. THE PILOT
KELLY DAVIS IS THE KEY TO
SAVING YOUR OWN LIFE AND
MAKING THEIR JOB THAT MUCH
EASIER IS EARLY NOTIFICATIONS.
HE SAYS YOU NEED TO HAVE THE
RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO GET IN
CONTACT WITH THE COAST GUARD
SO THAT THEY CAN GET TO YOU AS
QUICKLY AS THEY CAN AND HOW
MANY TIMES DURING THAT STORY.
AND IT WAS WHAT, 2 AND A HALF
MINUTES OR SO. DID YOU HEAR
THE WORD COMMUNICATION? THAT
IS THE KEY. THEY TRULY ARE
REALLY GOOD. SO I’VE HEARD
THOSE COAST GUARD HELICOPTER
PILOTS ARE LIKE THE BEST IN
THE BUSINESS. AND PILOTS OUT
THERE. THAT’S WHAT I’VE HEARD
FROM SO MANY PEOPLE. YOU KNOW,
ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES, RICH, I
WAS BLOWN AWAY WITH KELLY. AND
HERE’S WHY ALL THE PILOTS THAT
I KNOW THAT FLY HELICOPTERS,
THEY ALL STARTED AND FIXED
WING. THEY’LL START AN
AIRPLANE. KELLY DID A VERY
SHORT STINT IN A FIXED WING AS
PART OF THE TRAINING BUT WENT
RIGHT TO HELICOPTER. AND I
MEAN, JUST FLEW THE THING LIKE
A SURGEON’S SCALPEL. JUST THE
WAY IT CAME IN THE WAY THEY
GOT THE SWIMMER DOWN IN THE
WATER, THE WAY THEY GOT THE
BASKET ON THE BOAT. EVERYTHING
WAS JUST SO PER SESSION. AND
THE ONLY THING THAT I WANT TO
ADD TO ALL THIS AS WE WERE OUT
THERE AND BIG, WE’VE TALKED
ABOUT THIS BEFORE. THOSE PESKY
MYLAR BALLOONS EVEN WEAR OUT
ON THE VARIOUS BOATS. WE WOULD
THOSE THINGS ARE JUST DANGERS
IN THE WATER FOR WILDLIFE, BUT
NOT ONLY THAT IN THE
HELICOPTER, THEY’RE ACTUALLY
KIND OF A BEACON. AND WHEN
YOU’RE LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE WATER,
THOSE THINGS CAN HAMPER TIME
TO FIND THE ACTUAL PERSON
BECAUSE THEY’RE FOCUSED AND ON
THE SHINING LITTLE SPOTS THAT
ARE FLOODING AROUND ERRANT LEE
IN THE ATLANTIC SO TRURO, WE
HOPE OUR VIEWERS ARE LISTENING
KNOW THAT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THANK THANK