Chesterfield MedFlight crew performs back-to-back helicopter mountain rescues

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Chesterfield County and Virginia State Police's MedFlight team had a busy start to the week, performing back-to-back rescues in the mountains of Virginia on Monday and Tuesday.

“There is a big difference between practicing something until you get it right and training it until you can’t get it wrong,” said Russell Horn, Flight Paramedic with Chesterfield's MedFlight crew.

MedFlight is staffed by firefighters with Chesterfield County Fire and EMS and troopers with Virginia State Police. Their specialty is carrying out technical rescues via helicopter. Such rescues can require hoisting individuals into those helicopters.

The crew said that, each year, they typically handle three or four rescues of this nature -- but this week alone, they’ve already performed two, making for a hectic start to the season.

The first rescue was on Monday, March 31, and involved saving an injured hiker from Old Rag Mountain in Madison County.

March 31 Med-Flight rescue on Old Rag Mountain. (Photo: Chesterfield County Fire and EMS)

March 31 Med-Flight rescue on Old Rag Mountain. (Photo: Virginia State Police)

"Monday, we received requests from the U.S. Park Service to assist with the extraction of a 67-year-old female,” explained Chief Flight Paramedic Greg Jones. "The pilot, Curt, was looking at the weather and setting up communications to speak with everybody. Anya [a paramedic] and I were rigging the aircraft for rescue work."

The patient was taken to a hospital near the scene. For the crew, the next day brought another challenge.

On Tuesday, the crew responded to another emergency -- this one in the Devil's Marbleyard in Rockbridge County, where a 15-year-old hiker had suffered a leg injury.

"It was great winds all the way out there, good temperatures -- visibility was also a great thing," said Horn. "We were able to quickly locate when we got on the scene, where they [the patient] were, [and we were able to] come up with a rescue plan."

Jones recalled the emotional moment when the team hoisted the hiker up.

(Photo: Virginia State Police)

(Photo: Virginia State Police)

“We just gave each other a hug when she got into the helicopter," Jones said.

This year also marks a milestone for MedFlight, which is celebrating 41 years of service.

Jones said, since its inception in 1984 as part of a pilot program, the service has conducted over 21,000 missions.

“When you become a firefighter or paramedic, being accepted into a flight program is the pinnacle of anyone’s career,” Jones added. “It’s our honor to continue serving not only the citizens of Chesterfield County, but those across the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.”