03x06 - On the Edge

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Arctic Air...

I want to set up a Search and Rescue here at Arctic Air.

It's a way to bankrupt the company.

For the record, I admire what you're trying to do.

We need dedicated Search and Rescue in the north.

I appreciate that.

♪
♪ You used to have resolutions ♪
♪ and did I make your list? ♪
♪ I still never follow through ♪
♪ on anything but you ♪
♪ why am I still chasing your ghost? ♪

And, here comes Whistler's badass bouldering champ, Hank "The Gripper" Nordstrom!

Hey, Grip, give a shout out to the peeps!

Hurly burly, bro!

Yeah!

That was uber sick, man.

Whoo!

That was awesome.

Hey, Gary, let me say hi to Megan.

Aw, dude, you are so married.

Baby, check this out.

Top of the world.

[Both cheering] Whoo! Yeah!

Come on, bro, let's do this.

Let's go, hey, hey, give me the rope, I'll lead.

Take it.

Yeah...

[Bear roars]

What the hell are we gonna do?

Okay, rappel.

Let's anchor off.

It's heading this way!

Run!

Gary!

[Gasping in panic]

Go, go, go, go!

[Bear roaring, Gary screaming]

Have you got the bridle?

Got it!

Bring it up, nice and easy.

That's it.

5% off TOT redline.

6% off critical wind.

He's losing it, he's losing it in the downwash!

You're in the TFZ. Keep it moving.

Careful, Dev!

Oh!

What the hell, Dev?

Let go of the cable controller.

No, Dev!

Good thing he wasn't breathing before we put him in the stretcher.

Carabiner snapped.

It's still gonna bone us.

I did a precheck on every piece of the equipment.

It happens.

It's rare, but it does.

I'm changing equipment suppliers.

And what about Dev?

Is he ready?

He's close.

"Close"?

This isn't horseshoes.

He screwed up on the cable control, and got the litter caught in the turbulent flow zone.

He just needs more time working the controls.

Yeah, I'll make sure.

Krista...

Breathe.

The rest of your crew is doing great and the hoist operator training takes time.

You're almost there.

John...

Don't know if you've met Gordon Epp, Aviation Transport Authority...

John Crowe.

John is a SAR trainer, up from Ottawa.

He's one of the best in the country.

And my pilot's waiting for me.

I'll see you soon. You're doing great.

Thanks.

And nice to meet you, Gordon.

I saw what happened in the field.

Carabiner broke.

John says it's very rare.

You guys aren't ready for Search and Rescue.

Hey, that's not fair!

You watch one training exercise out of hundreds...

Are you saying that's the first time anything has gone wrong?

It's called training, Gordon.

We've made huge progress.

Every week, we're getting better, and next month we're gonna get certified.

Doesn't mean you're going to have an operating licence.

Okay, what's that supposed to mean?

Krista, if I approve this licence, I'm putting myself on the line.

Putting my job on the line.

Okay, you're a bureaucrat, I get it, but the North needs people who are qualified to do Search and Rescue.

That's exactly my point.

Do you hear this guy?

Good to see you, Gordon.

Bobby. Look, you guys don't have liability insurance.

You don't have the proper procedural manuals.

What about licensed paramedics?

We're working on that right now, and we're on top of it.

Most of all, based on what I've seen here today, you guys are just not capable of carrying this off.

Okay, well, Gord, based on what I've seen, you're still the same little candyass you were when we were 12!

Krista...

Playing hockey together, you never once went into the corner.

You know, maybe...

Never once took a hit for the team.

Okay, maybe you should leave Search and Rescue to the SAR techs at Trenton... people who know what they're doing.

Yellowknife radio, this is Charlie-echo-hotel-uniform-tango.

Ready to depart runway one-six. Over.

Do you have your seatbelt on?

Loreen?

You radio'ed dispatch, not the tower.

Good luck, honey!

Thanks.

Yellowknife radio, this is Charlie-echo-hotel-uniform... tango, ready to depart runway one-six. Over.

Uniform-tango, Yellowknife radio.

Wind is one-eight-zero at ten.

Active runway one-six.

Altimeter two-ninerniner-four.

No reported conflicting traffic.

Depart at your discretion.

Roger check.

Well?

Why are you asking me?

You're the pilot.

Climb out at 75 miles an hour.

Do you have to say that every single time?

No, only when you're at 65 miles an hour.

Oh.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

You keep yanking on that yoke, you're gonna stall.

Sorry.

Give 'er a little forward pressure.

Not the throttle, the yoke.

Forward pressure.

You're pulling back.

Too much!

It's a waltz, not a tango.

What's a tango?

It's bureaucratic crap.

And it comes with the territory.

You know, we should just do this.

I'm serious.

Just start doing Search and Rescue, with or without a rubber stamp from transport authority.

Or maybe we should just get liability insurance.

I have talked to five underwriters.

They all say the same thing, too risky.

What about a paramedic?

Too busy to commit.

Should I even ask about the procedural manuals?

We can't do them until we have insurance coverage and a paramedic.

You ever think that maybe it is too much?

Starting a SAR operation from scratch, it's huge.

Give up, is that what you're saying?

I'm saying Epp is asking for a lot.

When I start something, I follow through with it.

If we get our butts sued off, that's the end of Arctic Air.

What are you trying to prove?

Krista?

Lindsay Gallagher.

Lindsay, hey, what's up?

We've got a bit of a situation on our hands.

I was hoping you could help us out.

Personal locator beacon has gone off in the MacKenzie mountains.

Belongs to two climbers from Vancouver, Hank Nordstrom and Gary Lang.

Are they hurt?

No details yet.

I was wondering if you had anyone flying over the area.

Not that I know of, but I'll double check.

We'd send up one of our guys, but we have a multi-car accident out here.

What about Trenton?

Busy with a call in Quebec.

Can't deploy anyone for at least 12 hours.

Listen, can your SAR crew fly up?

We don't have a SAR crew, Lindsay, not until we jump through a hundred more hoops.

[Sighs] Okay, I'll keep calling around.

Good luck.

[Beeps phone off]

One step at a time.

[Mel, over radio]: Now bank right 45 degrees.

Now...

Easy!

You want to k*ll us both?

[Caitlin, over radio]: Okay, okay!

Oh, God...

Someone leave the mic open on the Cessna?

Or did you rig up some kind of eavesdropping device?

[Sighs]

Mel's right beside her.

I think they know what they're doing.

Yeah, so do I, that's my problem.

My girl is flying a damned plane.

Loreen, unknot the knickers.

Am I ever going to get used to this?

Kid wants to be a pilot.

I don't think you have much choice.

Hey, it's not on the board, but is anyone flying anywhere near the MacKenzie mountains?

Not today. Why?

[Engine chugging]

[Alert beeps]

That's a stall horn, right?

I'm in a stall?

You tell me.

What do I do?

You fix it.

Should I level out?

You could add power.

Power, power, power!

Get your nose down!

Nose down!

I'm trying!

Back off. I have control.

[Turns alarm off]

You almost put us in a spin.

Sorry.

Don't be sorry. Just get it right.

If that happens when you're on your own...

I know.

Had enough?

No. I have control.

Okay, now, bank left 45 degrees, and try not to k*ll us.

Better.

Marginally.

Hey. Any update on your climbers?

Not until we get some eyes up there.

You can't free anything up?

Got a plane heading up there tomorrow, but I mean, it's not necessarily serious, right?

Could just be someone lost on the mountain.

Yeah, except they activated the 9-1-1 button.

You didn't tell me that.

We've been trying to reach the emergency contact to determine how long the climbers have been up there.

So far, no luck.

You can't just divert a plane, have a look?

Let me get back to you.

What exactly does that mean?

It means have a look.

You're going to fly three hours to have a look?

Yeah.

And what if they're hurt?

You're gonna just fly by and wave?

We make a decision when the time comes.

Krista...

Are you with me, or not?

Of course, I'm with you.

That doesn't mean I have to like it.

Blake!

What are you scheduled for?

Flying Lady Lou to Deline.

Not anymore.

We need to take the chopper to the MacKenzie mountains.

Pull back, you're coming in too hot!

All right! I'm hopeless, I get it!

We're a little short on pilots right now, George.

Best I can do.

[Murmured reply]

Gotta run.

Hey, how'd it go?

I suck.

I'm sure it wasn't that bad.

It was epic bad.

Mel almost blew an artery.

Mel's tough on all pilots, especially new ones.

You know that.

I know you want me to be a nurse.

I thought I could be like Krista, flying around, saving people's lives.

[Sighs]

Not gonna happen.

Somebody wanna tell me why five of my pilots have gone to the MacKenzie mountains?

Based on the coordinates, they should be right in front of us.

There!

Now what?

Land this thing.

Terrain's too rocky.

Gonna have to be a hover exit.

Copy.

Harness, climbing rope, first aid kit?

Glad we were coming up here just to take a look.

Watch your step.

To the right.

I'm Krista! Search and rescue!

Can you hear me?

I can't find a pulse.

I can't find a pulse!

Oh, my goodness.

He's dead.

Mauled by a bear.

From the size of the gashes, I'm guessing it was a grizz.

Where's the second climber?

Look.

Blake, I need you to check the side of the cliff for the other climber.

Copy.

I'm trying to be supportive.

I really want to be supportive, Mel.

I hate supporting this.

She's doing great.

Not that I'm going to tell her that.

Even though she almost k*lled you both?

What are you talking about?

The mic was on.

I was supposed to listen.

It was a sign.

Look, I get that you're afraid after the crash we had...

Caitlin was in that crash, too.

How'd she get over it so quickly?

She's 19.

She's still got a long runway.

Ours is getting a little shorter.

Mel, that's not helping.

She's got great instincts, just like Krista.

She's going to be fine, and you're going to be very proud of her.

[Phone rings]

Arctic Air.

Astrid, what's going on out there?

We found one of the climbers.

He's dead.

We're still searching for the second one.

There's something behind that big rock down there.

Where?

In that debris field. To the left.

Yes, there! There!

Krista, found him.

He's straight down the cliff face, behind a big boulder.

Pretty precarious spot, nowhere to land.

We'll rappel.

Blake, we'll rappel down.

I'm gonna need you to prep the body for transport.

Copy.

The look-see has turned into a SAR operation.

We need help.

Sorry, Loreen.

We're up to our eyeballs with this accident.

We've got a dead body.

[Sighs] Damn.

Yeah, they're looking for the other climber now.

We're not going to be done here for several hours, at least.

Tell Krista to bring the body back.

Roger.

And Loreen?

Yeah?

Tell her thanks.

Copy.

Okay!

I'm Krista.

Arctic Air Search and Rescue.

What's your name?

It's Hank.

Hank, you're going to be okay.

[Groaning in pain]

Here you go. There we go...

There you go.

There you go...

Astrid, do you read me?

Krista says he's alive, but he's in bad shape.

What happened?

Grizzly bear att*ck, and he took a fall.

We're going to need herc straps.

[Mel]: Herc straps?

And a couple of one-ton jacks.

Just in case.

Just in case what?

What the hell is going on up there?

The climber's leg is trapped under a boulder, and Krista says we need a doctor.

She's doing a full-on SAR operation.

No insurance, no accreditation.

You have a better idea?

Astrid, tell my daughter we'll get her what she needs and I won't k*ll her till afterwards.

Copy that.

What about Gary?

Huh? Is he okay?

He's fine, Hank.

I was just with him.

I kept yelling his name, and he... he didn't answer me, so I...

Right now we just have to focus on you, okay?

Okay, Hank, I've got to clean these cuts.

I've got some rubbing alcohol, it's gonna sting.

Are you ready?

[Screaming] God!

[Wincing and sobbing]

Talk to me, Hank.

Tell me what happened.

[Groaning] Uh...

It was... it was a grizzly.

A grizzly got us, and... we played dead, and it left.

So I pressed 911.

And then the, um... the bear, he came back.

We tossed our ropes down, and I went over, and... and Gary didn't.

I could hear him screaming.

You're safe.

You're safe now, Hank.

We're going to get this boulder off of you and we're going to get you out of here.

We need more pressure bandages.

Krista...

I talked to Mel and Loreen, they're doing everything they can.

Mel knows about this?

He says he's proud of you.

At least, that's the gist of it.

Loosely translated.

We should have brought the herc straps.

This wasn't even supposed to be a rescue mission.

[Straining and groaning with effort]

[Groaning and straining]

It's not gonna happen.

We're going to have to wait till the herc straps get here.

We can make our own.

What?

We've got everything we need.

Webbing loop, climbing harness, quick draws.

It's too dangerous.

It'll work.

We make a sling around the boulder.

Attach it to the long line with carabiners.

If the sling breaks, the boulder could fall back on top of him.

We have to do something.

We'll try to lever it.

Okay.

[Rocks crumbling, Bobby yelps]

I'm okay!

[Sighs in relief]

Astrid!

The news isn't good.

There was a crash just off of highway 3.

I talked to Petra at the hospital, all the doctors are tied up dealing with that.

Okay, what about the herc straps and jacks?

Mel found some in the hangar.

He's getting ready to come to you, but we're almost three hours away.

Clearly, we need to find a doctor who's equipped to move large objects.

I'm on it.

[Shuddering]

Hank?

Bobby's going to lever that rock, and I'm going to pull you free.

Ready.

Go.

It's not working.

All we need's an inch or two, come on.

Wait...

[Roaring with effort]

[Roaring]

Okay, just wait, wait.

We'll get someone else down to help.

Please...

Don't let me die out here.

Hank, we are going to get you off this Mountain, you have my word.

You have my word.

We need to use the ropes.

Without the herc straps, it's too risky.

Bobby, you and I both know where this goes.

If we don't move that rock, the only thing a doctor's gonna be able to do is cut off his leg.

Coming down.

He's got it.

Who's helping Gary?

He's dead, isn't he?

Krista, I've got good news.

Go ahead.

Mel's on his way from Yellowknife.

He's got herc straps and jacks and he's got a paramedic.

It's Petra.

Petra?

Mel convinced her.

They're about two hours out. Should we wait?

Negative.

Copy.

Ready!

Here we go.

[Hank screaming]

[Boulder grinding]

[Screaming]

For the record, this is a really bad idea.

Just a little bit more.

[Hank screaming]

[Boulder grinding]

[Helicopter alerts blare]

Dammit.

What's that noise?

That is the engine stress warning.

[Alert blaring]

Blake...

I know.

Whoa!

Dev!

Abort! Abort!

Dev, are you okay?

For the rest of my life, I'm going to be wearing this safety harness.

I want to talk to Megan.

I want to talk to my wife.

[Yawning]

You all right?

I didn't expect to go from working a doubleshift to this.

Krista could use you long-term for this hare-brained scheme of hers.

You know, that's not exactly the most persuasive argument, Mel.

You two still have bad blood over Bobby?

Look, I'm here trying to save the guy's life.

That's enough for now.

[Dialing telephone]

Hi, Megan.

This is Loreen Cassway.

I'm calling from Arctic Air.

Our people are on the mountain with Hank.

He's, um... he's stable.

They have a sat phone and he wants to talk to you.

Please call me at this number when you get the message.

Thanks.

[Telephone rings]

Arctic Air.

Hi, Arnie.

Listen, can I...

[voice murmurs]

A surgeon?

Where?

Aurora Mountain Lodge.

How far away?

30 minutes straight north of you guys.

On the south corner of Trout Lake.

How did you find him?

Lot of rich people vacation up there, so I called the lodges this morning.

My friend, Arnie, works at Aurora.

He said there's a Dr. Morrison up there fishing.

I can't pick him up from a boat.

Arnie says he comes back for his afternoon scotch at 2:00, so he should he docking his boat just as you guys touch down.

Copy. On our way.

Let's hope Blake catches him before he gets into the scotch.

Blake, you've gotta hurry. He's getting worse.

We're at the lodge now.

We're just about to land.

Copy.

We only have one litter.

We need to leave the body here.

I'll send someone back from the lodge with a quad.

[Muttering] Megan...

Megan..

I want to talk to her.

I want to talk to her...

We're trying to reach her, Hank.

Just stay calm.

Help is on its the way.

Doctor's still fishing.

They expect him back within the hour.

Call me the second he arrives.

Copy.

And there's a public health centre in Fort Providence, but it's not much closer.

Closer to what?

Hi, Gordon.

I'm here to see Krista.

Yeah, she's not here right now.

Because she's on the side of a mountain?

Doing Search and Rescue without a licence?

Word travels.

I don't care how many insurance companies she's contacted!

If she doesn't have a policy in place, she is not protected!

And you know who's going to pick up the tab if she blows it?

The taxpayers!

We have liability coverage.

As an airline.

You're not covered to patch up grizzly bear att*cks!

Petra Hossa volunteered as paramedic.

She's a nurse!

She used to be a paramedic!

She's still not covered!

You are so full of crap!

You're just like every other adult who tells us we have to be responsible, and then you don't take responsibility for anything!

If it was you on the side of that cliff, you wouldn't give a damn about the paperwork!

You'd tell us to tell people like you to go to hell!

This is happening, Gordon.

All we can do is pray and hope for the best, right?

[Dev singing softly in Hindi]

[Singing echoes]

♪

[Coughs and gurgles]

No, no, no, stay with us.

Stay with us, Hank.

Hank?

Can you hear me?

[Whistling merrily]

Dr. Morrison, hi.

Blake Laviolette.

I'm a pilot with Arctic Air.

Nice to meet you, Blake.

Gonna do a little fishing?

We have a situation on a mountain.

A climber is badly hurt.

I'm on vacation.

We need your help.

Look, I'm an American...

We have a helicopter waiting.

I can fill you in on the way...

I'm not going.

Excuse me?

I'm sorry.

I'd like to help, I would, but if anything goes wrong, I can be sued and lose my licence.

No one's going to sue you.

I'm sorry...

My friends are on a cliff trying to save a man's life!

Please.

If you don't come, he'll die.

I'm thirsty.

Here you go.

Krista, do you read?

How far away are you?

About eight minutes out.

You've got the doctor with you?

No.

What?

I argued with him for 20 minutes.

I did everything I could.

He wouldn't come.

Lawsuits.

I'm sorry.

[Call ringing]

[Sat phone rings]

Mel here.

It's Bobby. What's your position?

An hour back.

I need to talk to Petra.

Hi. You okay?

Yeah, but the climber's not doing so good.

Well, as soon as we get him loose,

I can get him stabilized long enough to get him to a hospital.

About that...

We tried moving the boulder with the long line.

It's just too heavy for the helicopter and I don't think the jacks are gonna work either.

Well, what are you saying?

Just be ready when you get here.

Bobby, I'm not a surgeon.

You're the closest we've got.

[Static crackles] Bobby?

Bobby...

Petra?

Petra, do you read me?

Bobby. Bobby!

I lost him.

He thinks you'll have to amputate?

Well, I... it's not possible.

I'm totally unqualified for something like that.

So... turn around and fly back to Yellowknife?

No.

Astrid, do you copy?

Five by five.

Bobby's sat phone d*ed, and I need to talk to Krista.

Can you get her on your radio and put the mics together?

Roger.

Stand-by one.

Krista?

Petra?

How's he doing?

He's shivering and he's having a hard time breathing.

I think he's going into shock.

Is he conscious?

Yeah.

Can you find a pulse on his wrist?

No.

Check his carotid.

Got it.

It's 100.

Any obvious areas of bleeding?

He was att*cked by a grizzly, he's got gashes all over his body.

Okay, just keep applying pressure to the ones that are bleeding the most.

Um, what part of his leg is pinned under the boulder?

Up to the knee.

Krista?

Yeah?

On the off chance that we can't move the boulder, I may need to do some surgery on Hank's leg.

[Quietly] Understood.

I'm going to need you to get a few things ready for me, okay?

Yeah, go ahead.

I'm going to need something to tie a tourniquet.

Uh, we've got some climbing rope.

That'll do.

A Kn*fe?

A sharp one.

Yeah, we've got something.

And a... a saw.

Yeah, we've got a...

What the hell is that for?

No, no, no...

No, no, no, you can't take my leg.

It's okay.

No, no, no.

Nobody is gonna touch my leg!

All right?

Shh, shh, shh...

No, no, no, somebody!

No, no, no, nobody is gonna touch my leg!

[Petra]: Krista, we're still 40 minutes outut.

How's he doing?

His pulse is 140.

Are you sure?

Yes.

What does that mean?

He's tachycardic.

His heart's giving out.

Okay, wh... what do I do?

Chest compressions? CPR?

Tell me what to do.

Okay, Krista, we're not going to make it in time.

You guys are going to have to do this.

You're going to have to amputate his leg.

I'll do it.

No. No, Bobby, we need your strength to hold him down.

Without morphine or anesthetic, he's going to be thrashing all over the place.

Krista, you're gonna have to do this.

Krista, are you still there?

[Whispering] Yeah.

Listen, I've assisted on the surgery a couple times in the O.R.

I can talk you through this step by step, okay?

I can't... I can't.

Krista, if you don't do this, Hank is going to die on the side of that Mountain.

[Hyperventilating]

I can't... cut off his leg.

I can't cut off his leg!

Krista?

I'm right here with you.

Krista, it's Astrid.

Go ahead, Astrid.

There's a call coming through on the sat phone.

I think it's Hank's wife.

Copy that.

Put her through.

Here you go. Here you go.

Hank?

Megan, is that you?

I'm really sorry, my phone was in the car, I was on the bike.

[Crying, voice trembling]

It's so good to hear your voice.

They told me that you're hurt, babe.

What happened?

How bad is it?

Nah, it's just a couple scratches.

Stop it.

Tell me the truth.

I'm, uh... it's my leg.

They want to cut it off.

What?

What happened?

Was it like Frostbite Ridge, or some kind of crevasse, or what?

No, no, it's. Um... it's pinned.

It's crushed.

Babe...

You listen to me now.

Are you listening?

Yeah.

I don't need both of your legs.

But I need you.

So you get off that mountain, and you come home.

You hear me?

I need you.

I love you.

I love you, too.

I gotta go.

I love you.

[Sobbing]

Do it.

Cut it off.

Krista's going to do it?

They don't have any choice.

Bobby's cutting up his shoelaces so they can tie off his arteries.

Copy.

I was wrong.

Be a pilot.

[Petra]: Are you ready?

Krista?

I... I can't do this.

Okay.

Well, let's just do what we can do, okay?

I need you to cut away his pant leg.

Can you do that?

Yeah.

Yeah, I can... I can do that.

Okay, that's... that's done.

Okay, good, that's good.

Have you got the climbing rope?

Yeah.

I need you to tie a tourniquet above the knee.

Do you have room for that?

Yeah.

Cinch it tight.

As tight as you can.

[Screaming in pain]

Okay, that's done.

You're doing great, Krista.

Now, have you got the Kn*fe?

Krista?

[Quietly] I have it.

Okay.

Take the Kn*fe and cut a fish mouth incision into the leg.

Do you know what that is?

It's a deep "V" cut in the front of the leg, and one on the back.

Looks just like a fish mouth.

[Breathing hard]

Krista?

Krista?

Honey?

I hate the girly pillows in my office.

I hate the new brochures, and the flat-panel screens in the waiting room.

I hate that you're grown into such a stubborn, headstrong woman...

because it means you're going to go out into the world, and you're going to end up in moments like this, and I won't be able to protect you.

But most of all...

I hate that you don't need me to protect you.

Because the truth is you can do this.

I just want you to know that I know it.

[Shivering and breathing hard]

Okay, Hank.

This is going to hurt like hell, but we're going to get you off this Mountain.

Are you ready?

Take a deep breath.

[Gasps, sobbing]

[Hank screaming in pain]

[Hank's screams reverberate]

[Screaming in agony]

You're doing great, Krista.

Can you see the bone?

Yeah, I can see it.

Good. Okay.

You're gonna need to cut through that bone with the saw.

And you've got to do it fast.

[Groaning]

[Hank sobbing and screaming]

[Bone rasping]

♪

Just spoke with Petra at the hospital.

Hank's going to be okay.

[Crying] That's good.

[Sobbing]