BOSTON — A Coast Guard crew from Station Point Judith and Narragansett Fire and Rescue emergency medical technicians medevaced a 35-year-old man suffering from possible internal bleeding Friday night from Block Island, Rhode Island.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. watchstanders at the First Coast Guard District command center received a request from Block Island Medical Center for the transport of the patient.
Civilian transport was unavailable due to weather and low visibility. A Coast Guard flight surgeon deemed the medevac medically necessary after conferring with Block Island Medical Center personnel.
At approximately 8:15 p.m. a 45-foot Response Boat Medium crew from Station Point Judith launched with two Narragansett Fire and Rescue emergency medical technicians aboard.
After a nearly two-hour transit through thick fog, the crew arrived at Block Island and took the patient aboard for transport back to the mainland.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. the crew arrived at Point Judith and transferred the patient to additional Narragansett Fire and Rescue personnel who were waiting at the pier.
Narragansett Fire and Rescue transported the patient to South County Hospital.
“The last ferry had run for the night, and visibility was too low for a helicopter to launch,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class William Holz, the officer of the day at Station Point Judith. “Our boat crew, along with the EMTs, pushed through visibility as limited as 50 yards to reach the patient and get him the advanced care he needed."