The Nevada Department of Forestry's three Hueys are based at the Minden-Tahoe Airport. Photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Forestry
The Nevada Department of Forestry is rolling out an advanced rescue hoist system to aid in evacuations and emergency medical response, including the rescue of injured wildland firefighters.
Last week, the department began training its personnel and those of local jurisdictions in the use of the hoist.
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The department said in a statement that the rescue hoist equipment "is critical in supporting our mission."
"In Nevada, numerous situations have prompted aerial evacuation of firefighters, injured individuals, and those lost in remote locations," according to the statement. "With the most advanced safety mechanisms, coupled with unmatched efficiency and proven reliability, the new rescue hoist is recognized as the industry-leading method for air rescue. Additionally, due to the nature of our basin-and-range state, wildfires often spark in remote areas that are inaccessible to rescue vehicles. The hoist will be a critical tool that allows EMTs to quickly access, stabilize, secure and extract injured firefighters and members of the general public from these remote areas."