Smoke in the air. Heat bearing down. Anxiety running high across Sonoma County. Against that backdrop, one story has cut through the haze: the Sheriff’s helicopter crew pulling off a rescue straight out of a movie.
On Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office helicopter, better known by its call sign Henry-1, was dispatched to a rugged patch of land near Palmer Creek Road. A person working in the area had collapsed with what turned out to be a heat-related medical emergency. The setting wasn’t just rural — it was steep, forested, and nearly impossible for ground crews to reach in time.
That’s when Henry-1’s crew went to work. Flying low over the thick canopy, they spotted the patient and a coworker signaling from the trees. Landing wasn’t an option. So the team set up for what’s called a longline rescue, dropping a 200-foot rope from the helicopter. With careful coordination, the crew lowered a rescuer into the clearing, secured the patient, and lifted them out of the trees. From there, it was a quick flight to a waiting ambulance staged nearby…