The 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron members came to the rescue, twice, over the Labour Day long weekend.
The squadron based out of 19 Wing Comox joined forces with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, for a pair of search and rescue missions.
The first was a nighttime search for a dinghy lost on the Salish Sea.
A CC-115 Buffalo aircraft lit the turbulent waters with parachute flares while a CH-149 Cormorant and multiple Canadian Coast Guard vessels, fighting strong winds, searched the waters.
With the help of the flares, the dinghy was found by the Canadian Coast Guard and the boater was transferred to waiting BC Emergency Health Services.
The second mission was assisting a medical evacuation from Bella Coola by a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter.
It ended with the patient being transferred to BC EHS in Vancouver.
442 Transport and Rescue Squadron pilot, Captain Danny Schwager, said it was a team effort.
“While it was a busy night for 442 Squadron, the coordination between the various organizations led to successful outcomes in both cases.”
