Petty
Officer 2nd Class Adam Preiser, a boatwain’s mate and certified EMT
from Coast Guard Station Chetco River, provides emergency medical care
for a fishing vessel captain 27 miles off Gold Beach, Ore., July 10,
2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kodi Curles.)
A Coast Guard boatcrew medevaced a fishing vessel captain reportedly suffering from a stroke 27 miles off Gold Beach, Friday.
The captain was stabilized by a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from the Rogue River Search and Rescue Detachment in Wedderburn, who safely transferred the captain to local emergency medical crews in Gold Beach.
“Our primary concern was to get the captain to the medical attention he needed as soon as possible,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Preiser, a boatswain’s mate at Station Chetco River. “We train for things like this and it showed today as our crew really performed. From transferring the captain over to our boat, to providing first aid and then getting him to needed medical attention. Today was a success.”
Sector North Bend watchstanders received a call around 10:40 a.m. from a crewmember aboard the 46-foot fishing vessel Flying Finn stating that his captain was suffering a possible stroke.
The 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Rogue River was immediately launched to assist. With two boatcrew members, one an EMT, transferring to the fishing vessel to stabilize the captain before moving him onto the MLB for the transit to Gold Beach.
After safely delivering the captain, the boatcrew returned to the fishing vessel and escorted the remaining crewmember south, where they met an MLB crew, from Station Chetco River, who took over and finished the vessel escort into Brookings.