Coquitlam Search and Rescue uses helicopters when necessary to transport team members, equipment and subjects to and from the field when the time needed to walk or use other methods of transportation are longer than an hour. In the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, the use of helicopters is hampered by the forest cover, and the height of the trees. We have several techniques for using helicopters in this terrain.

	Looking down from a hovering helicopter
	Two members at a long line practise
	Doing a hover-exit

Currently, Coquitlam SAR trains in three types of helicopter related rescue:

Basic Helicopter Safety

Everyone on the team does this course which gives the members a basic helicopter orientation, and allows them to operate around helicopters safely. Once they've done this, team members can be flow in and out of remote landing zones and can enter and leave a running helicopter (called "hot loading")

Hover Exit

This technique involves entering or leaving a helicopter while it is hovering a few feet off the ground. Due to the nature of wilderness landing zones, the ground is not always level and sometimes the machine must hover while the team members get in or out.

This technique is also used to load and unload subjects, either in stretchers or not.

All members on the team do this course, and refresh every 2 years.

HFRS/HETS/Long Line Rescue

HFRD (Helicopter Flight Rescue System) / HETS (Helicopter External Transport System) is commonly referred to as "Long Line" or "long Line Rescue". This rescue technique involves a SAR member being hooked up to a line that is attached to the bottom of a helicopter. When the helicoper takes off, the rescuer is lifted off the ground. The helicopter pilot can then take the rescuer to the scene, and lower him or her through the trees to the ground.

By using this technique, SAR members, equipment or subjects can be transported to locations that are not usually accessible via helicopter.

There are currently two Coquitlam SAR members who train for HFRS with North Shore Rescue.  Other teams in the Lower Mainland who have HFRS capability are Chilliwack SAR, Whistler SAR and Squamish SAR.