The Real ResQ Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 146 Michael Allen, Arizona Department of Public Safety Aug 11, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Michael Allen from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZ-DPS). Michael, who was born and raised in Arizona, started his career with the fire department. In line to make Captain, he decided to change careers and move on to work with the Air Rescue Unit for AZ-DPS. After a seven month academy and then another four months of Air Rescue Training, he is doing what he has always wanted to do! As he starts getting into some of his rescue stories, we go over a few “first’s” that he had. While in the training phase, he was called for a rescue with people trapped by flood waters who needed to short haul out. When he was officially qualified for all rescue operations, he was called out for a hunter who fell down a ravine into thick forest and brush and broke his leg. Michael had to rappel in, package the patient, and be short hauled out for three miles to the nearest landing zone. He talks about another rescue on Mount Lemmon where five people and two dogs were stuck on a very slippery, icy slope. We talk about two rescues where he and his crews were helping Customs and Border Protection. The last two rescues discussed are two stories that stand out to him. One of them was a base jumper where the jump went bad and he was stuck on the cliff side. The other story is a rock climber that was hiking, took a fall and broke both ankles. Enjoy!

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Episode 145 Bob McMahon Pilot for Delaware State Police and Volunteer Firefighter Jul 30, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Bob McMahon, Delaware State Police, pilot, and volunteer firefighter. As a retired police officer of 41 years, as well as an inductee into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame, Bob has some great stories. The first story that Bob considers his most memorable is one that has never actually been told until now. During his off time, Bob and his girlfriend (now wife) were spending a day at the beach. While he was alone in the water, he watched a lady and her baby get hit by a wave, causing them to become separated. Being in the right spot at the right time was all that mattered that day as the outcome of this event was determined by a set of little toes. The second story of this episode is about a boat that capsized causing four people to fall into the water. A second boat on scene helped locate the victims and drive them to the beach where Bob was able to land the helicopter. He jumped out of the running helo to help with the victims. Doing everything they could to give the victims the best chance of survival, Bob and crew flew to the hospital wet, covered in sand, and with no communication, landed in the parking lot of the Emergency Room. Our third story is about a diving accident which caused the patient to go into cardiac arrest. Working in tandem with the USCG, 12 miles offshore, they had to come up with an idea to get the medics from the helicopter to the boats. It seemed to be that a jump from the helicopter to the boat was the only real option. Another interesting story that Bob thinks about is not the normal rescue mission many associate with what we do. This one was for a child that needed medication, immediately. Bob jumped into the helicopter, flew to an area where the pharmacy was, landed, and got the attention of the local police to help him out. The plan worked as advertised! We finish our conversation talking about the joys of being an instructor and the great feeling he gets when he sees his students succeed and grow. Enjoy!

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Episode 144 Brian Fishbook, Ski Patrol, Helicopter Hoist Operator and Paramedic from Canada Jul 22, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Brian Fishbook, a Ski Patrol, Hoist Operator and Paramedic from Canada. Growing up around the Vancouver, Canada and Whistler area, Brian has seen some amazing things in his 26 years as a ski patroller. He recalls several “first” rescues on the mountains, from a simple broken wrist walking to the ski patrol lodge, to a major head injury and seizure in extreme cold weather. We then talk about his first and second longline rescues. These stories are about a kid who went off trail and was stuck for the night and a guy stuck in a ‘snow mushroom’. Next, Brian tells us about a time one of his partners got stuck in an avalanche and another time the two of them survived a helicopter engine flameout. We get back to another first when he was part of the team to complete the very first RAPATTACK rescue of an injured fireman. Our last two stories are some of his most memorable rescues. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, he was called to help an injured skier who crashed on the course. The next was an X Games skier who had a terrible crash on an attempted jump. We finish our conversation with what he does to help with avalanche prevention, by blowing the snow up! Enjoy!

Additional correction to the episode: The Rapattack program that Brian mentions was actually started in 1977.

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Episode 143 Jay O’Donnell from UK and the Royal Navy (Ret’d) Jul 14, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Jay O’Donnell from the United Kingdom. He shares some of his very memorable rescues while he was in The Royal Navy as a Rescue Diver. His first rescue is actually the reason he continued down the Search and Rescue path. A ferry that had sank with 500 people in the water, which made for a memorable start. The next rescue we talk about, was his first call out after being qualified for an injured fisherman. The more we talk, the more he is reminded of a couple other stories. A fisherman with very bad injury and a time he was almost washed off the deck of the boat. The last story is the rescue of 26 people in a life raft and a rescue that earned him the Queen's Gallantry Medal. Enjoy!

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Episode 142 Nic Holmes from South Africa Jul 06, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Nic Holmes from South Africa. Nic recaps eleven (and we could have done more too!) that he has been involved as a rope rescue technician. We start with his first rescue of three guys who literally ran off a cliff. The news headline with this rescue was, ‘Three Rescued After Gorge Tumble’. The second story he tells us is based on the new headline, ‘Fireman Suffers ‘Only a Broken Leg’ after a 35 m fall’. Our third story has stuck with Nic since it happened. He and his team were dispatched for a 16-year-old female who jumped off of a cliff. Nic tells many more stories, stories involving running four rescues in the matter of three hours, a man who survived a 60 m plunge, and rescues of “man’s best friends”. Nic’s rescue stories continue and we are here for each and every one of them. He talks about a body recovery at the base of a cliff in Winston Park. Another rescue that we hear about is from a news clipping that says, ‘Man hijacked and thrown off Kloof gorge cliff’. To finish off the eleventh and final story, Nic shares a memory where a drunk guy jumped over a barrier to evade police but on the other side was a 30m cliff. Enjoy!

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Episode 141 Matthew Fader from Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) Jun 27, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Matthew Fader. Matthew, originally from the United States, has lived in Sweden for the second half of his life. Our conversation jumps right into his first rescue and why he has been in search and rescue the majority of his life. At 19 years old, he helped an unconscious surfer with a head laceration, by providing CPR to him on the beach. After a helicopter came to extract the victim, and from that day forward, he knew what he wanted to do! He made a move to Sweden with his now wife and has made his life there. While living in Sweden, Matthew wanted to continue working in the field of rescue. He found the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) and has been with them ever since. He tells us all sorts of stories from his time with SSRS. One of these stories includes a time when he and the SSRS deployed to Greece to help with the influx of refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean. Enjoy!

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Episode 140 Dr Ben Meadley Flight Paramedic from Australia Jun 20, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Dr. Ben Meadley, a flight paramedic from Australia. Ben has been working in the EMS and helicopter world for over 25 years. In January of 2023, he earned the Ambulance Service Medal for his service and for everything that he has done for Australia's medical community. As we get into our conversation, we talk about his first helicopter rescue. The victim took a crash off his motorbike and sustained severe injuries. Ben hiked up 800 meters of steep, rugged terrain with about 40kg/88lb of equipment. The rescue was not over after the patient was treated. Ben had to relocate him to another location so that they could then be hoisted out. The second rescue involves a guy that went abseiling off the side of a cliff. Everything seemed to be great until he got to the end of the rope with 60 meters left to get to the bottom. With no way to get up or down, he made a call to his wife for help. The third rescue that we talked about involved two kayakers who were injured and needed extraction. What made this rescue stand out was the extra five guys there asking for a ride out so they didn't have to walk. We finished our conversation talking about the research that he has done regarding the demands that we encounter in the rescue world. Ben presented this information at the EURORSA 2022 meeting, another topic discussed in this episode. Enjoy!

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Episode 139 Jon Bartel USCG Pilot Jun 13, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Jon Bartel, USCG Pilot. Jon started his career as a school teacher, but decided that was not what he wanted to do. He went into construction and that is where he learned about the Coast Guard. Jon signed up, went to boot camp, and has served ever since. As we discuss his 26 year strong career, we talk about so many stories. These stories include cross country flights, flying the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement missions, and his first flight in Alaska. Then we get into some of his rescue stories. The first rescue that Jon recalls was about a girl who had fallen off a cliff near Astoria, Oregon. We continue on discussing four more stories, three of which came with awards, including two separate Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and CG Commendation medal. We finish our conversation with one more feel good rescue that Jon had where he received a letter from the person they saved. Enjoy!

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Episode 138 Sebastian Schneider, Hoist Instructor from Germany Jun 07, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we are joined by Sebastian Schneider, a Hoist Instructor from Germany. With a background in the German military as a medic, Sebastian has seen quite a bit. He tells us a story about a climber who fell 20m/60ft in a canyon that he and his crew had to rescue. Hoisting the medics into the scene, they were surprised to see the victim had only a broken leg. Next, we discuss his current role as a hoist operator instructor with DRF. In this role, he is able to pass the lessons that he has learned from actual rescues onto the next generation, as well as the good advice that he has received from others. His goal is to prepare the next generation of aircrews to execute the rescues to the very best of their abilities. Enjoy!

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Episode 137 USCG Crew, The Rescue of Capsized Boat in Astoria May 19, 2023

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In this episode of The Real ResQ, we get a full debrief by the entire crew of USCG 6009, PIC Will Sirokman, SIC Tripp Haas, Flight Mech Joe Ivy, Flight Mech Kyle Turcotte, and RS1032 Branch Walton. These men were the crew that responded to the vessel crushed by a huge wave, capsizing the vessel and tossing the survivor around like a rag doll. Will, Tripp, Joe, and Kyle were taking a look at weather and sea state when the call came in. A radio call back to base for a Rescue Swimmer, it was Branch who won a game of rock-paper-scissors to jump on the helo for his very first rescue mission. Arriving on scene, they watched as the USCG 47’ motor lifeboats did everything they could in the large seas to assist the helpless mariner. After about twenty minutes, the decision was made to put Branch into the water. The plan was simple. Swim over to the vessel, get the mariner into the water, and extract him to safety. However, when a large breaking wave came barreling down on them, capsizing the vessel and sending the mariner into the tumultuous sea, plans changed. Quick thinking of the crew made the fast adjustments to get the Rescue Swimmer and the survivor to safety adding to another life saved. Enjoy!

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