‍✈️ Become a Pilot with the LSEMS! ‍✈️ | Divisional Highlight

[Emilia Thalmer]

HIGHLIGHTING THE AIR & RESCUE DIVISION

The life of a MEDEVAC pilot can be pretty interesting sometimes - you get to fly around looking like Maverick from Top Gun and saving lives! But there is more behind the scenes between the lift-off from the helipad to respond to a distress call and touching down back at the hospital with the patient safely handed over to the ER staff.

I asked four MEDEVAC pilots about why they wanted to get certified, what their most difficult call/situation was, and what their most fun MEDEVAC call has been.

PILOT INTERVIEWS

Why did you want to get MEDEVAC certified?

Like oh so it was mostly the idea to be able to fly around. I did a few trips in the MEDEVAC before, and it was awesome. Like sure it helps save people quicker and stuff, but the idea of being able to fly around with ease and get to calls easier was so cool.

I was already in Mountain Rescue and Lifeguard, so it was a simple choice for me. I wanted to extend my array of options to better respond to calls in dangerous terrain such as water and mountains.

Because I enjoy being able to respond to all varieties of calls and adding MEDEVAC allowed me to better serve the department in this capacity.

I joined the Air and Rescue division to expand my skillset when it comes to ground vehicles. They are good, they are decent, but they do lack the capability of vertical rescue in places where it matters most, especially when it's mountains or buildings from time to time.

What has been the most challenging/hardest MEDEVAC call you have done?

Like I had a Cayo call once for a wedding. Like PD and SD shot up a crim wedding and I was the only medic to like 10 injured, that was wild.

That's a hard one, but I think I would have to do with one time when we had three different calls come in at once from Chiliad for injured individuals, granted there were two of us. One flying and the other manning the rescue basket. And just as we finished rescuing the 3rd individual, we got a 4th call from the area.

We had a call under Fort Zancudo bridge where Cindy, Grant and I had to thread the needle with the helicopter and a kamacho to rescue people in a very hard-to-reach area of the bridge.

I think it was when I first started training to become a senior pilot. My instructor at the time, Matt Tezla, was teaching me how to fly the Swift, but I never sat in the Swift before and wasn't too experienced as a pilot. He somehow ended up injuring himself and we had two patients. I had to pick him and the two patients up and fly the Swift for the first time. It was landed on a grassy slope, so it was sliding when no one was in it, and I don't know if it was luck, but I managed to get everyone and myself to Pillbox safely.

What is the coolest or most fun MEDEVAC call you have handled?

Like I had to land on a yacht a few times near the pier. Like for a party, that was awesome.

Definitely when I got to rappel down to reach a patient and provide medical treatment.

Back when I was training for Senior pilot with Chris Dalison and Grant Adams, we had a priority call from SD on the pier that required us to respond immediately. Chris flew and because time was of the essence and we didn't have a clear landing zone, Grant and I rapelled down out of the helicopter onto the pier.

Any situation that involves picking three people up in the night because you have to first get there, scramble your aircraft, pick up the call, and locate where they are in the dark. And it's not just one person, it's three. It's fun when people go hiking or off-roading on Chiliad because they can get injured with all three of them stuck in different spots and you're looking for them in the dark. You think you see them, but it's actually a bush or a rock, eventually, you thankfully grab all three people and bring them to Paleto.

HOW TO JOIN

To join the LSEMS, you need to apply!

• The application requirements can be found in the Job Listing.
• The application format and more information on the hiring process can be found in the Hiring Status and Instructions topic.

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To join the Air & Rescue Division and become a MEDEVAC pilot, you need to:

• Reach the rank of EMT-A or higher.
• Fill out an application and be accepted as a Student Pilot.
• Study the Air & Rescue Flight Manual to get familiar with all the rules and regulations, as well as gain basic knowledge about the MEDEVAC and how to operate it.
• Observe a Flight Instructor fly the MEDEVAC and receive tips on how to fly safely.
• Practice flying under the watchful eye of an Instructor.
• Learn how to perform a basket rescue.
• Pass the Pilot certification.

While the above may look like a lot, it is a great framework to ensure you fly safely and effectively, saving as many lives as possible. Once you complete the training, you are officially certified as a MEDEVAC Pilot within the Air & Rescue division!

Do you have what it takes to be a pilot? ‍✈️

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Written by:

Alex Crail
Junior Paramedic
Los Santos Emergency Medical Services

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Edited by:

Assistant Chief | Director of Administration
Los Santos Emergency Medical Services