Crowd of bystanders a challenge for helicopter pilot during rescue at popular B.C. viewpoint
Crowd of bystanders a challenge for helicopter pilot during rescue at popular B.C. viewpoint
(lionsbaysar / Instagram)
Hikers are being reminded to keep their distance after a challenging rescue over the weekend at a popular B.C. lookout.
In a message on social media, members of Lions Bay Search and Rescue wrote a crowd made the situation more difficult Sunday when a crew was called to assist someone at a viewpoint along the Tunnel Bluffs hike.
The team posted a series of photos on Instagram, with a caption that included that a crew was called to the spot at around 1 p.m. It was able to reach and assess the person, who needed medical attention, extract them by helicopter and transfer them to the care of paramedics.
LBSAR did not provide information on the person's condition or further details on the situation that led to the call, but said the mission took about three hours to complete.
One issue LBSAR did mention, however, was that crowds can – and in this case did – present a challenge to rescuers.
"As the weather warms up, we're seeing more and more people out on the trails," the team wrote.
"This can sometimes make it much more difficult for SAR to access their subjects and complete a task as we have the added challenge of navigating around crowds of bystanders, as we saw (Sunday) at the very popular Tunnel Bluffs viewpoint."
One of those challenges is finding enough space for a helicopter to land.
According to LBSAR, a standard helicopter needs a landing zone of about 40 metres by 40 metres.
The group asked hikers who see a helicopter approaching when in the mountains to leave the aircraft as much space as possible.
"A helicopter needs a SIGNIFICANT amount of space to safely land. As a helicopter nears land, it also disrupts the surrounding terrain, causing dust, rocks and other debris to be spit out in all directions," LBSAR explained.
What this means is there could be more injuries at the scene, if people don't allow enough space for a safe landing.
"For your safety and ours, please always try to give us as much space as possible to work."
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