Standby, Action, RescueStory by Sandra Toh
Pictures by Chua Soon Lye
Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) 125 Squadron, which operates the Super Puma helicopters for Search and Rescue (SAR) missions, is on standby to respond to calls for aero-medical evacuation. PIONEER visits the SAR crew at 125 Squadronand combs for the challenges behind what they do.
It is five o'clock in the morning and Sembawang Air Base is quiet with little movement. Just when one expects dawn to be heralded without much fanfare, the serenity is suddenly pierced by the high-pitched blaring of an emergency siren. Immediately, loud shuffles fill the corridor of 125 Squadron as two pilots and two aircrew dash out to the airfield. In minutes, the four men are onboard a red-and-white Super Puma helicopter, all ready to fly. Their mission: to search for, and evacuate, a critically injured seaman out in the South China Sea.
Scramble timeEverything must simply happen automatically upon a SAR activation. Speak to any member of the SAR crew, and he or she will tell you that every minute matters when it comes to rescuing lives.
Pilot CPT John Lim (above) says: "The moment the siren goes off, there will be a scramble, where we rush to kit ourselves up, run to the aircraft and take off. This whole process should not take more than 15 minutes."
"To save time, we make meticulous preparations routinely," he adds. "We ensure that the helicopter has been pre-flighted, all equipment are in good working order and the crew are mentally prepared to respond at a moment's notice."
The medical personnel on standby along with the rest of the crew have to be similarly rapid in response. Senior Medic 2SG Patrick Low says: "During a scramble, we race to the treatment room where the ambulance is, load our equipment and drive to the airfield. Time is precious -a one-minute difference can decide whether the casualty survives or not."
On the standards that he has set for his men, Commanding Officer LTC Calvin Ng says: "We have a very structured and robust training programme in place for our pilots and aircrew, and every crew on duty must be able to respond to any emergencies within 15 minutes."
"It is critical that every SAR mission is carried out swiftly, safely and professionally, because
we want to maintain Singapore's prominent position as an international sea and air terminal,"
explains LTC Ng.
Finding surprises
For Medical Officer CPT (Dr) Lee King Chien, performing a SAR operation is like "unwrapping a present".
"The information we get at the point of activation is usually very minimal," says CPT (Dr) Lee. "We can
be told to pick up a guy with fever without knowing his age and the severity of his condition, and this really tests your ability to manage the case on the spot."
Having been involved in a number of SAR missions has taught CPT Lim, in his own words, "to expect anything"."A SAR mission is very dynamic," says CPT Lim. "For example, when you are told to pick up a casualty from a tanker, you expect to land on it since it's a big ship. But this is not always the case as some of them are filled with containers. In such cases, you have to consider other means to evacuate the casualty, like winching."
"The change in weather conditions poses a challenge too," he adds. "If we are out at the South China Sea on a rainy night, even identifying the correct vessel is going to be tedious."
CPT Lim has certainly had his share of 'surprises'. "It was a rescue mission for a seaman who lost his arm after a container fell on him," says CPT Lim, as he recalls his first SAR operation. "When we got there, we realised that there was no landing area on the ship for us. That was the first surprise."
"After deciding to winch the casualty up, we found that communication between the ship and the aircraft could not be established," he continues, adding that the area for winching was finally agreed upon after exchanging hand signals.
What he was least prepared for however, he reveals, was the somewhat disconcerting scene he had to face. "Not only did we have to pick the casualty up, we had to bring his arm, contained in an ice-box, up as well. The man was bleeding so profusely that the smell of fresh blood filled the entire cabin and the cockpit. That put me slightly off."
But being the professional he was, the pilot quickly overcame the discomfort he felt. "Knowing that the casualty depended solely on me for help, I regained my composure and managed to send the casualty to the hospital on time," says CPT Lim.
Ups and downsThe helicopters used for SAR operations are typically fitted with a retractable steel cable hoist with a 600-pound lift capacity. This allows the SAR crew to perform winching while hovering over open seas, mountains or other terrain that are not suitable for landing.
The winchman is the one who is lowered to the casualty for a quick extraction. While his job appears simple enough for anyone who doesn't have a phobia for heights, it is actually a complicated process that requires the co-ordination of several members.
"Teamwork is the key to successful winching," quips Aircrew Instructor SSG Rajesh Saraj (left)). "When the winchman is down the line, the winch operator who guides the cable has to give the pilot a running commentary since the latter is not able to see what's going on behind him. This is to avoid accidents that might happen due to close contact with tall trees."
As turbulence from the helicopter's rotor may cause the cable to spin, the winchman and winch operator have to work hand in glove to prevent swings or oscillations. "The winchman and winch operator are always communicating through hand signals," says SSG Saraj. "When the winchman indicates that the height should be maintained or that he should be lowered down to make adjustments, the winch operator has to understand immediately what he's trying to express and do it."
Besides having nerves of steel, stamina and strength are necessary criteria that every winchman must fulfil. Winching up a casualty sometimes involves a lot of running.
"There was once when we were activated to rescue a casualty from an aircraft crash on an offshore island," relates SSG Saraj. "As the area was very forested, we couldn't winch the casualty up immediately as we didn't want to risk having branches fall on him. So the winchman had to carry the casualty to an open area more that one kilometre away for us to do the rescue."
