KODIAK, Alaska – A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew medevaced a 16-year-old male Sitka Wilderness Therapy student experiencing chest pains on Duffield Peninsula, approximately 30 miles north of Sitka Sunday evening. 

The aircrew safely hoisted and transferred the boy from a narrow tidal flat to awaiting emergency medical services personnel in Sitka for further care. 

At approximately 5:18 p.m., Sector Juneau watchstanders received notification from the Sitka Wilderness Therapy team leader that a student was experiencing chest pains throughout the afternoon while on a hike near Duffield Peninsula. After conducting a brief with the District 17 flight surgeon, Sector Juneau personnel directed the launch of an Air Station Sitka helicopter crew to respond with additional medical personnel aboard. 

“The aircrew was dispatched to a survival camp in Peril Strait,” said Lt. Kyle Johnson, the co-pilot on the case. “We were able to land on a rocky area between the shoreline and treeline. Members of the camp were able to pass their exact coordinates to Sector Juneau, light a signal flare and communicate with the helicopter directly with a portable VHF radio. As a result, this eliminated any searching and made entry into the unprepared landing zone very quick and uneventful. The patient was transferred to Sitka EMS for further care.”

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