Special Populations & Operations · Chapter 34 Not started

Special Operations and Ambulance Operations

Helicopter LZs, chairlift evacuation, avalanche response, and interfacing with transport crews.

Key points

Helicopter landing zones: firm, flat, clear area sized per the aircraft's requirements and local protocol; mark and secure loose objects and snow spray hazards; approach only when signaled, from the front/side in the pilot's view, never near the tail rotor, and crouch under turning blades.
On sloped terrain, approach and depart a helicopter from the DOWNHILL side — rotor clearance shrinks uphill.
Chairlift evacuation: reassure riders first (most injuries come from jumping), establish command, and evacuate methodically per your area's rope/ladder system.
Avalanche response: survival drops steeply after burial — immediate companion/beacon search beats waiting; probe and shovel strategically, and treat recovered patients for asphyxia, trauma, and hypothermia together.
Snowmobile/toboggan operations follow the same rule as everything else: the rescuer's arrival must not create a second incident.
When EMS or a flight crew arrives, deliver a tight handoff report and support their operation — the patient is now shared, then theirs.

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