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Operations & systems
Hoisted paramedic beat antenna in avalanche search
Efficiency of Rescue Paramedic Hoist versus Underslung Antenna in Helicopter-Based Avalanche Searches: A Randomized Trial
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine · 2026 · Added 6 November 2026
In a Norwegian randomised field trial with a live search-and-rescue helicopter crew, hoisting a rescue paramedic with a handheld transceiver found buried avalanche transceivers 143 seconds faster on average than an underslung antenna search across 25 runs.
- Study type
- RCT
- Design
- Dual randomised experimental field trial with an operational SAR helicopter crew
- Participants
- 25 trial runs (13 antenna, 12 hoist) over three days, six buried transceivers
- Main finding
- Hoist search cut time to transceiver found by 143 seconds (95% CI 113–172, p<0.001), time to optimal signal by 29 seconds and time to paramedic on ground by 124 seconds.
- Caveat
- Simulated 80 × 150 m field with one active transceiver per run — real avalanches mean multiple burials and harder terrain.
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). A niche alpine rescue question, but the crew-on-ground-versus-equipment trade-off applies to any Australian rescue helicopter tasking.
Learning goal
Understand how hoist-based avalanche search tactics shape prehospital retrieval times in alpine rescue operations.
More
- Topic: Operations & systems
- Daily scan: 6 November 2026
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