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For the first time, Commander Jurn Van Der Bovenkamp in the Sea King helicopter describes the hectic hour in which he and his colleagues rescued 13 people from the landslide crater in Gjerdrum.
Just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the alarm sounded in the department of the 330 squad of the rescue service in Rygge.
Jurn Van Der Bovenkamp and five of his colleagues were asleep, but quickly prepared to take off with the rescue helicopter.
– Just before take off, we received an update from the emergency center that they had received many emergency messages. Then we realized this could be big and we brought some extra disaster kits with us, Van Der Bovenkamp tells TV 2.
Demanding conditions
During the half hour it took to fly from Rygge to Gjerdrum, many thoughts ran through the heads of the six members of the helicopter crew.
– When we got to the place, we only saw a huge hole in the ground and then we understood the dimension and scope, says Van Der Bovenkamp. Photo: Kristin Grønning / TV 2
They weren’t sure what to expect and if they were sized for the mission.
– I’ve worked with landslides before, so think about it. But the weather was so demanding while we were flying, so our attention was mainly focused on the conditions, says the commander.
When the Sea King helicopter finally reached Ask in Gjerdrum, they only saw a large hole in the ground.
– Only when we flew through the hole did we see the extent and magnitude of this landslide, says Van Der Bovenkamp.
By this time, the police helicopter had already observed several people in the crater who needed help. The police helicopter crew guided the Sea King helicopter in the direction of these people.
Raised 13 people
– The situation was so confusing that we just had to act and start raising the people closest to us. We focus 100 percent and work systematically to save as many as possible, he says.
Rescue helicopter in action over the landslide in Ask. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB
In the dead of night and with a light snow in the air, they were able to rise one by one from the great crater.
When they had hoisted six people, they were airlifted to a nearby plain, where ambulances and firefighters were ready to tend to those who had been rescued.
Van Der Bovenkamp and his colleagues returned to the crater where they managed to rescue seven other people.
– What thoughts ran through your head as you sat down and steered the helicopter, as it rose one by one?
– We went completely into work mode and focused 100 percent on doing the job to the best of our ability, under the demanding conditions. So we didn’t have time to think so much. The thoughts came only in hindsight, says the commander and is silent.
Only when the job was done did thoughts arise about how extensive the landslide was, how many were affected, and what more were left at the site that they couldn’t save.
– 13 people were rescued by you at Sea King. what do you think about it?
– I think it was not just our efforts that ensured that all 13 were saved. We are the ones who have the tool to do the job. We shouldn’t come and steal our credit for that. There are a lot of players here who put a lot of effort into these 13, says Van Der Bovenkamp.
IN ACTION: Here one of the crew members is lowered in a rescue helicopter over the crash site at Ask in Gjerdrum on Wednesday night. Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB
The commander says he often finds himself in situations where he and his colleagues save lives.
– We are in situations where we save lives almost every day of the year. But it’s one of the oddities that we save 13 people in one day, he says.
– Vital efforts
Task leader Roger Pettersen in the eastern police district boasts of the efforts of Van Der Bovenkamp and his colleagues in the first hours after the landslide.
Task leader Roger Pettersen says the crew aboard the Sea King helicopter saved many lives from the crater after the landslide. Photo: Kristin Grønning / TV 2
– Their efforts were vital and they put in an absolutely formidable effort in the initial phase of the assignment, says Pettersen.
– What is the value of having a Sea King helicopter of this type, fully manned, ready and in motion all day long, when such an incident occurs?
– It’s very important. Especially in this task, it turned out to be extremely important, because the only resource that we were able to obtain in the landslide was through the air, and therefore it was an incredibly important tool, says Pettersen.
– What do you think of the work Sea King rescue personnel did here?
– A very good job is being done. Fantastic, professional efforts from dedicated colleagues running a rescue service. But it is also important to say that this is one tool of several, and it is the general effort that gives results, says the leader of the task.
