On Monday, the Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and crew that spent the summer months forward-deployed to Cordova, is due to be released from there and depart back to Kodiak.

During their deployment to Cordova, which began on May 1, 2013, the forward-deployed helicopter flew on 26 cases and saved 11 lives and assisted another 18.

The deployment takes place every summer to address the increased traffic in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.

“The FOL allows us to reduce the distance aircrews have to travel when responding to emergencies in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound,” said Lt. Francis Wolfe, a pilot with Air Station Kodiak. “Even in the summer, the Alaskan environment can be dangerous and unpredictable, making quick response times an absolute necessity when disasters occur.”

In addition to the forward-deployment to Cordova, the United States Coast Guard also forward-deploys their resources to the Bering Sea region both in summer and winter to address increased fishing activity there.