What started off as an emergency landing for a Glendale Fire Department helicopter in a Phoenix park on Thursday ended up being an impromptu field trip for students getting out of nearby schools.
The helicopter was heading back to Glendale after taking a 13-year-old boy to the hospital, who was in critical condition after a bicycle-car collision.
The pilot and two paramedics were flying over Phoenix when a warning light came on that indicated the helicopter needed to land immediately. Cielito Park, near 35th Avenue and Indian School Road was the closest viable option for the pilot.
"He made a couple of passes, there was nobody in the grassy area of the park so they were able to set the helicopter down," said Capt. Martin Herrera from the Glendale Fire Department.
It was around 3:40 p.m. and students who had just left nearby schools to head to the park got an unexpected treat. While waiting for the mechanic to fix the problem, crew members gave the children tours of the helicopter.
"They got to climb on it and look at it" said Herrera, who added that parents were taking pictures of their children on the helicopter.
If the helicopter encountered such a problem while transporting a patient, the decision to land would be at the discretion of the pilot.
"It solely rests on the shoulders of the pilot to make that decision about whether or not to continue," said Herrera.
In a situation where the pilot did have to land unexpectedly then a patient would be taken either by vehicle or another helicopter, said Herrera. To his knowledge such a incident has not happened since they got the chopper five years ago.
"It was a pretty rare occurrence for us," said Herrera.
No comments:
Post a Comment