Army Black Hawk helicopter ready to help with Rum Creek Fire response

MEDFORD, Ore. – A Black Hawk helicopter is stationed at Medford’s airport to help with the Rum Creek Fire.

The helicopter is operated by a four-man crew from the US Army.

Pilot Corey Wadsworth said the crew is on call from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

They said they can go from the airport to the fire in 15 minutes, depending on conditions.

The helicopter is used mainly for medical evacuations, but Wadsworth said it’s also capable of dumping more than 500 gallons of water on the fire.

Wadsworth explained, “We have about 300 feet of cable that we can use to do that so in Oregon and densely forested areas, we can go hoist people out where other civilian agencies might not be able to land. That’s really what sets us apart.”

Wadsworth said the crew hasn’t had to do any medical evacuations on the Rum Creek Fire, so far. He said they can move up to four patients at a time.

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