Life on the Line – Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona (KGUN) – The high water levels soared this weekend and some people ignored the danger and tried to play in the water. Some of them had to be saved.

Rillito was still running late Monday afternoon, but was only part of the Sunday performance. NS The kayaker hurriedly tried his luck with the water. His luck seemed to be exhausted by the time the sheriff’s helicopter arrived.

The helicopter was already in the air for another mission, so it could be washed away immediately. After around 20 years of air rescue, first for the border guards, now for the sheriff’s office, pilot Milt Kennedy is almost instinctively able to drop his lifeline. I would know.

“It’s just an experience. That means it would have been very difficult for a beginner, but after many years of floating and thousands of hours later, it’s a second. It’s nature. “

The kayaker got off the boat. He was part of the country, but still far from a safe haven on the shore – and Kennedy found that the man was losing the energy to save himself. Rice field.

“When you start to be scared for your life and maybe panic a little, you will expend more energy, and when you get to a safe place, as he claimed, and maybe feeling safe, adrenaline rushes were released, everyone came Spending came first and they were just plain tired. “

Crew Chief Tom Pryce operated the winch, coordinated movements with the pilot and monitored hazards such as power lines. Flying together for years helps everyone to know what others need – almost without words.

Price says, I know when he does that, and when he says that, I do it, responding to something else. “

Milt Kennedy says the open space above the washroom and fairly mild weather didn’t make the rescue any more difficult than some of the others he did.

In July 2017, Tom Pryce was on board under Kennedy’s control for a tricky rescue near the canyon walls and swirling waters of Tanque Verde Falls. The helicopter crew rescued a man and a 4 year old child and then successfully picked up 15 of them.

Crew members sometimes say that the people they save make mistakes they’ll never make again, but usually they just say thank you.

“I’ve been in search and rescue for many years, especially this time of year, and it’s very rewarding to do this type of rescue,” Price said. So it was one of the most rewarding experiences. “

What happened on Rillito’s Sunday was dangerous for the rescue team and those who were rescued. So if you take the opportunity in the waters of the monsoons, you endanger not only your life but the lives of those who come to save you.

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