By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
Fairchild's 36th Rescue Flight has been busy lately.
After the crew rescued two separate injury victims in Montana and Idaho Oct. 22, they were called out again Thursday, Oct. 28 on two separate rescues.
“It was really rare, eight for a week and a dog,” TSgt. Joseph Brownell said. “Normally we get called out a couple times a month.”
The search and rescue crew went out in a helicopter Thursday morning in search of two missing hunters—a father and his
14-year-old daughter—in North Idaho. Brownell said they stopped in
St. Maries to get information on the area they were to search, then began flying, scanning the ground for people for around 30 minutes before finding the two near Avery and hoisting them into the helicopter.
Brownell said they had just dropped off the father and daughter when they got a second call to rescue four people and a dog who had gotten stuck in a snowstorm while camping near Grangeville. The crew refueled before departing again.
“We got lucky that we found them right away and nobody was hurt,” he said.
The 36th Rescue Flight is part of Fairchild's Survival School, but they go out on civilian rescue missions when called upon. Brownell said the crew was happy with the results of their busy day Oct. 28.
“It's always good to find everybody okay and to get them home,” he said.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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