King County gets helicopter hoist that will help in rescues

King County sheriff's Sgt. Sydney Jackson knew leaping from a hovering helicopter to help a hypothermic hiker was a risk, but she didn't have a choice.

When Cindy Wysocki, 32, got separated from her hiking party at Snoqualmie Pass in November, the Sheriff's Office, despite its four helicopters, didn't have a way to hoist her from the rugged terrain. Jackson, who is in charge of the sheriff's Air Support Unit, had to jump four feet from the helicopter and wade across a river to aid Wysocki until a Navy helicopter equipped with a hoist arrived.

Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office unveiled a new $200,000 human hoist attached to the Guardian Two search-and-rescue helicopter.

Metropolitan King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, R-Redmond, said that after Wysocki's rescue and last winter's flooding, she realized it was necessary to equip a sheriff's helicopter with a hoist, instead of waiting for the Navy to provide assistance. Lambert said she lobbied the council for the money to purchase the hoist.

"Looking back on the Wysocki rescue, that's not a procedure we commonly use. It's risky," Jackson said. "It [the hoist] gives us not just the search portion of the mission, but the rescue. We've been really good at searching in the past, but we have to call in the Navy."

Jackson, Lambert, Sheriff Sue Rahr and others gathered Tuesday morning at the state Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien to watch a crew practice using the hoist. Jackson was hoisted several hundred feet into the helicopter during the demonstration.

Lambert said the council will now review the possibility of purchasing a bucket to attach to the hoist to assist in fighting wildfires. The bucket would carry water that could be dumped onto fires.

Also on Tuesday, Lambert recognized Jackson for saving Wysocki's life. Jackson, who has been with the Sheriff's Office for 18 years, called the attention "a little awkward" because it was "a team effort."

Wysocki, a Seattle attorney, was lost for two days while snowshoeing on the Denny Creek Trail. After her rescue, she was hospitalized and released one day later.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com