On 8-15-10 at about 9:40 am, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Helicopter, “Henry-1,” was paged out for a cliff rescue at South Gerstle Cove.  An abalone diver had become nauseated, ill and distressed in the surf. He was able to make it to shore but was stranded by the steep, rocky cliff from receiving further medical attention.

Henry-1 arrived on scene and coordinated with the Sheriff’s resident coast deputy, State Parks rangers and lifeguards, Timber Cove Fire Dept. and Cal Fire rescue personnel on scene.  It was determined that best patient care, given the circumstances and location, was to bring the patient to the top of the bluff via a long-line rescue.

Henry-1’s Tactical Flight Paramedic, Scott Westrope, was long-lined down to the patient via a 100-foot line attached to the bottom of the helicopter.  The patient, who was packaged up by rescue personnel, was then long-lined back up to the top of the bluff, accompanied by Medic Westrope on the long-line.  The patient, a 40-year-old Rohnert Park resident, was then transported via ambulance to a local hospital.

On 8-1-10 at about 3:38 PM, rescue crews were dispatched to Lake Sonoma for a jet-skier who crashed his personal water craft onto the shore across the Warm Springs Arm from Madrone Point.  The Sheriff’s Helicopter “Henry-1″ responded along with the Sheriff’s Boating Unit, Geyserville Fire Dept., Army Corps Rangers and REACH.

The crew of Henry-1 located the patient along the shoreline being tended to by boaters who witnessed the solo accident. Since there was absolutely no vehicular access to this area, the helicopter crew long-lined into the area to extract the patient. The helicopter crew and deputies from the Sheriff’s boating unit packaged the patient who was then flown via long-line to a nearby landing zone.

The patient, a 66-year-old male, suffered broken bones and was flown by REACH to a local hospital. The accident, which does not appear to be alcohol related, is being investigated by the Sheriff’s boating unit.

On 7-2-10 at about 4:57 PM, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Helicopter, “Henry-1″ was called to Schooner Gulch Beach in Point Arena for an ocean rescue.  A windsurfer was reported to be in distress. The Henry-1 crew responded along with local fire and rescue crews. Henry-1 arrived in the area within 20 minutes. The helicopter crew first located the windsurfer’s yellow board floating a few hundred yards off shore. The sail had been separated from the board and was located about a half-mile to the north of the board. The Henry-1 crew then located the windsurfer standing on a small swath of beach at the base of a 70-foot cliff, cut off from view from the bluff above. He was holding two sticks over his head in an “X” fashion, indicating some sort of distress.

The Henry-1 crew set up for a long-line rescue where the pilot, Paul Bradley, flew the flight paramedic, Scott Freedman, via 100-foot long-line attached to the belly of the helicopter to the patient at the base of the cliff.  The medic and the patient were then flown via the long-line to safety atop the bluff.

The windsurfer, a 51-year-old man from Boonville, CA, cramped up after being in the cold water for an extended period and was unable to make it to shore with his windsurf board.  He was finally able to drift onto the small beach at the base of the cliff but was unable to scale up to safety.  He was assessed by local medical crews on the ground. He showed some signs of dehydration but was later released at the scene.

On 5-27-10 at about 1:20 PM, the Sheriff’s Rescue Helicopter unit “Henry-1″ was dispatched to a vehicle over the cliff in the 20000 block of Oyster Catcher Loop in Bodega Bay.  A 62-year-old Bodega Bay woman accidentally backed her SUV off the roadway, down a hill and into a ravine toward the ocean in that area.

The Henry-1 crew arrived at about 12 minutes later along with Bodega Bay Fire members.  The vehicle was about 250 yards off the roadway and nosed down into a ravine.  The woman was extricated from the vehicle by the Bodega Bay Fire crew. Given the location on the cliff and the serious nature of the patient’s injuries, the Henry-1 rescue crew long-lined the woman from the crash site on the cliff to the bluff via 100-foot long-line attached to the bottom of the helicopter.  The Henry-1 crew then reconfigured the helicopter for medical transport and transported the woman to a Santa Rosa area hospital.

On 5-24-10 at about 7:45 am, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s helicopter crew was called-out to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to assist Healdsburg Police as well as Sonoma and Mendocino Sheriff’s deputies in locating a suspect in a stabbing case that occurred in the City of Healdsburg at about 6:05 earlier this morning.  The suspect’s get-a-way vehicle had been located on a ranch south of Squaw Rock just inside the Mendocino County line.

The Helicopter crew arrived on scene at about 8:11 am and observed a body at the base of a 65-foot cliff, just west of Hwy. 101. Access to the area was nearly impossible for ground crews given the steep, rugged, rocky terrain. The helicopter’s tactical flight deputy and the paramedic were long-lined into the area where the body was located.  They confirmed the white male subject, about 30-years-old, (which matches the stabbing suspect’s description) was deceased. The helicopter crew recovered the body and turned it over to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies for further investigation and identification.

On Saturday May 1, 2010 at about 12:12 pm, the Sheriff’s Helicopter, Henry-1, was dispatched along with Geyserville Fire Department, Bell’s Ambulance and REACH helicopter to a reported rescue at Liberty Glen Campground, which is located at Lake Sonoma. A horseback rider had been knocked off her horse by a low-lying tree limb. Henry-1 arrived in the area and located the victim down a canyon on a trail.  Coordinating with Fire/EMS personnel in the area, it was deemed best for the patient to be “long- lined” out of the canyon due to her head and possible back injuries as well as the remote area she was in.

Henry-1 landed nearby and set up for the long-line rescue. Pilot Paul Bradley flew TFO Debbie Little on the bottom of the 100-foot line to the patient. With assistance from Geyserville Fire personnel the patient was secured and flown to a parking lot via long-line where patient care was then transferred to REACH personnel, who flew her to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Later, at approximately 1:02 pm, just after the REACH helicopter departed with the first patient, a concerned hiker ran up and alerted Fire/EMS personnel that there was another rider who  injured in a fall from her horse. The only information at the time was the patient was located in a remote area near the first rescue.  Geyserville Fire personnel responded down the trail on their 4-wheel “quad” and Henry-1 set up for another long-line rescue.

With the assistance of the fire personnel the patient was packaged up and then flown on the bottom of the long-line to the awaiting Bell’s Ambulance crew, who then transported her to an area hospital.

The first patient was a 56-year-old woman from Pope Valley, CA.

The second patient was a 17-year-old female from Santa Rosa, CA.

The two injured women were unrelated and were on separate horseback expeditions.

On Saturday April 17th, at about 1:25 pm, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Helicopter, “Henry-1,” was called out to 314 Lands End Close, in the Sea Ranch area for a scuba diver in distress.

Sheriff’s coastal deputies, park rangers and Fire/EMS personnel responded to the scene and spotted the diver who had self-inflated his personal floatation vest upon becoming distressed. The diver was about 150 yards off shore and had become too exhausted to return to shore.

“Henry-1″ arrived on scene within 13 minutes and set up for a long- line rescue. Helicopter pilot Paul Bradley flew Tactical Flight Deputy Debbie Little via 100-foot long-line attatched to the bottom of the helicopter to the diver, plucked him from the surf and returned him to safety on the shore.

The rescued diver was 23-year-old Robert Mushet from Fairfax, CA in Marin County.

On 2-20-10 at about 1:52 pm, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Helicopter Unit “Henry-1″ was dispatched to a subject in distress in the ocean.  A friend of the victim drove to Fort Ross State Park and reported to State Parks Rangers that the subject was a fisherman and had fallen off a rock into the sea.  The friend led rangers back up to the area of just south of Horseshoe Cove in the Salt Point State Beach area, nearly nine miles away.

The Henry-1 flight crew, piloted by Paul Bradley, arrived in the Horseshoe Cove area just as State Parks Rangers and lifeguards arrived back on scene.  The Henry-1 crew spotted a subject face down in the ocean about 100 yards off shore.  The subject was fully clothed and was still wearing a backpack. The subject had been in the water for about an hour.

Henry-1 paramedic, Scott Westrope, recovered the body of an adult Asian male from the surf via 100-foot long-line attached to the helicopter. The subject was deceased. The body was turned over to deputies and rangers on-scene. The case will be turned over to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office.

About a half an hour later, the Henry-1 crew was summoned back to the same cove for a friend of the previous drowning victim, who was displaying altered level of consciousness and signs of medical distress.  The Henry-1 crew was lowered to this patient atop a remote rocky bluff by 100-foot long-line. This subject was transported via long-line to awaiting ground medics who took over patient care.

The subject of the earlier press release, Deborah Keehn, has just been located in an area near the point last seen off of West Dry Creek Rd. She was located by the Sheriff’s Helicopter crew who were conducting a search of the wooded area along a nearby creek.

Ground units were directed to her location by the helicopter and she was walked out to a waiting ambulance.  Initial reports indicate she was wet, cold and confused with no other apparent injuries.  She was to be taken to an area hospital for further evaluation.

On 02/14/2010, at approximately 1233 hours, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Helicopter Henry 1 responded to Laurel Del Trail near Alpine Lake, Marin County, to assist the Marin County Fire Department with an injured hiker.

It was initially reported a female hiker had fallen and injured her ankle, however her exact location was unknown. Henry 1 arrived on scene and located the victim in a wooded canyon near a waterfall.

Henry 1 landed nearby and set up for a 200 foot long line rescue. Pilot Paul Bradley flew Paramedic Scott Westrope and Tactical Flight Officer, Deputy Debbie Little, on the bottom of the line to the victim.

After assessing the victim’s injuries, it was determined the victim needed to be flown out of the canyon to the ambulance that was staging along the highway nearby.

The victim was then transported by ground ambulance to local hospital.