Offshore Platforms Emergency Medevac Training Drills

Over the past two months, the Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit partnered with Beacon West for valuable emergency medevac training drills on offshore platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel. One by one, six members of the Flight Paramedic team lowered from a hovering helicopter onto the platform, where they met First Aid and CPR-trained operations personnel who conducted Emergency Action Plan protocols, stabilizing a simulated injured worker. The Paramedics practiced time-critical medical procedures, securing the life-sized figure into a rescue basket and lifting it to the helicopter for emergency transport to the nearest hospital.

The seamless coordination between helicopter pilots, paramedics, and platform operations personnel showcase more than technical skill. It reinforces a fundamental commitment that personnel safety is paramount in offshore oil and gas operations. Preparedness drills like these can make all the difference when lives are on the line, and every second counts.

Thank you to Captain Anthony White and the entire Air Support Unit, which is jointly operated by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, for their dedication to public and worker safety..