Coast Guard Aviation-Based Medical Services

Coast Guard flight surgeons approve all aeromedevacs.  Each district has a flight surgeon on 24-hour call.

No Coast Guard aircraft have a solely dedicated Medevac mission. All aircraft are configured for a multi-mission role.

There are 15 air stations that have flight surgeons assigned.  The larger commands may have 2-3 FS’s.

Coast Guard flight surgeons are trained at either the Air Force or Army flight surgeon courses. After completing a one-year Coast Guard specific syllabus they are designated as CG flight surgeons. There are also a small number of PA’s trained at the Army flight surgeon course that are designated as aviation medical officers.

Aircraft:

HC-130 (26 operational with a total  range of 4500 miles )

• Equipped with a Medical Pallet with Attached Litter, O2, and the carry-on equipment deemed necessary for that particular mission.
• Medevacs use flight surgeons, corpsmen and rescue swimmers as medical personnel. The Mission determines what level is dispatched.
• Navy SEALS and Air Force PJ’s have been directly deployed from the aircraft to provide medical care when no resources are near.
• Flight surgeons do ACLS and ATLS. Some corpsmen are trained to the ACLS level.

HH-60J (Jayhawk) (35 operational with a range of  300 miles out and back)

• Most medical support provided by the rescue swimmers who are all EMT’s. Most of them are at basic level but in some areas (eg Alaska) they are intermediate.
• Flight surgeons and corpsmen participate in medevacs at times.
• The HH-60J is configured to carry one Stokes litter. It has no capability to utilize NATO litters.
• They carry AEDs as part of the basic medical kit.
• In the Coast Guard configuration, there is less room in the back than in other (Army, Navy, Air Force) DoD counterparts.

HH-65A  (80 operational with a range of 130 miles out and back)

• Most medical support provided by the rescue swimmers who are all EMT’s. Most of them are at basic level but in some areas (eg Alaska) they are intermediate.
• Flight surgeons and corpsmen participate in medevacs at times.
• The HH-65A is configured to carry one Stokes litter. It has no capability to utilize NATO litters.
• They carry AEDs as part of the basic medical kit.

HH-60 Jayhawk

HH65 Dophin

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Department of the Navy
2300 E Street NW
Washington, D.C
20372-5300

Operational Medicine
 Health Care in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMED P-5139
  January 1, 2001