JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska —  Alaska Air National Guard Airmen of 176th Wing saved two lives after two missions Feb. 15 and 16.

The first mission opened Feb. 15 in response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers to the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at JBER.  An individual sustained a suspected broken femur after a sledding mishap on Mile-High Saddle in Eagle River.

The 176th Wing search and rescue duty officer, Maj. Dan Warren, dispatched a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk with 212th Rescue Squadron pararescuemen (PJs) on board.

The Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, the volunteer rescue agency already on site, provided on-scene patient stabilization and situational updates to the AKRCC and responding HH-60 crew. 

The HH-60 crew hoisted two PJs to the individual’s location where he was placed into a Stokes litter and hoisted into the Pave Hawk for evacuation to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage where he was handed off to civilian medical authorities.

Tech. Sgt. Mike Rogers, 212th RQS pararescue team leader, said he appreciated AMRG was the first to respond.

“Its always good when you hear AMRG is on scene,” Rogers said. “They gave us a great patient handover prior, and when we arrived on-scene the patient was expertly packaged and ready for hoist. AMRG makes our job easy.”  

Alaska State Troopers requested assistance Feb. 16 from the AKRCC to rescue a snowmachiner suffering a suspected fractured humerus, facial injuries and mild traumatic brain injury near Eureka, nearly 100 miles northeast of Anchorage. The snowmachiner notified the Troopers using an InReach satellite communication device that is effective beyond cell phone tower coverage.

The Pave Hawk crew flew to the InReach coordinates and air-landed the team of two PJs. They made contact with the injured snowmachiner, stabilized, and evacuated him into the helicopter for transport to Providence.

Warren stressed the importance of carrying a satellite communication device when venturing into the Alaska outdoors.

“Cell phones are only as good as the signal of the nearest tower,” he said. “When in the backcountry, always carry a backup satellite communication device and/or personal locator beacon. Thankfully on Feb. 16, this young man came to his worst day prepared, which bought him a swift resolution to a very serious situation.”

“Don’t be the person who can’t make the call when you really need it,” Warren said.