TUCSON, Ariz. —A U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations (AMO) air crew rescued a 37-year-old injured woman trapped within a Southern Arizona mountain range on Monday.
Arizona Air Coordination Center received a 911 call from the injured Guatemalan woman, which led the Tucson Air Branch to dispatch a UH-60 Black Hawk aircrew to locate the caller.
Once on scene, the crew assessed the situation and elected to insert a Rescue Specialist, who is also an EMT, by way of a 100-foot hoist. Once the caller was triaged, the RS packaged the injured woman in an Air Rescue Vest and a successful hoist extraction was conducted. The patient was flown to the San Miguel Forward Operating Base, where she was taken by Sells EMS to Sells Indian Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
“Our mission is to provide unwavering commitment to the preservation of life no matter the scenario,” said Tucson Air Branch Deputy Director Jose Muriente. “Our personnel are outfitted with the latest equipment and technology to provide humanitarian assistance to people experiencing unforgiving terrain often resulting in injuries and even loss of life.”
In Fiscal Year 2022, AMO enforcement actions resulted in 967 arrests and 134,981 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, as well as the seizure or disruption of 250,616 pounds of cocaine, 1,475 pounds of fentanyl, 25,625 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,342 weapons, and $21.7 million.
Watch video of the rescue: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/886085/amo-tucson-hoist-rescue
