North Slope Borough Search & Rescue
Sikorsky S-92, Bell 412, Pilatus PC-24, and King Air 350ER provide a lifeline in the Arctic.
By Rafael Henríquez
Managing Editor
NSBSAR conducts hundreds of medevac missions annually, coordinates with local volunteers and other agencies, and manages a personal locator beacon (PLB) program to help residents signal for help in emergencies. Pictured here are pilots, SAR coordinators, maintenance technicians, and admin staff.
Alaska’s North Slope Borough encompasses a staggering 95,000 sq mi of Arctic wilderness, making it the largest county-level jurisdiction in the US. This vast territory, stretching from the Brooks Range mountains to the Arctic Ocean, presents unique challenges for its approximately 8000 residents scattered across 8 remote villages.
With no permanent road network connecting communities and winter temperatures plunging to –40 °F, aviation isn’t just a service – it’s the very foundation of emergency response and community survival.
The North Slope Borough Search and Rescue (SAR) department serves as this frozen frontier’s guardian angel.
Operating a mixed fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, the department provides 3 critical services that keep the region functioning – SAR for hunters and travelers in distress, emergency medical services (EMS) from isolated villages, and logistical support for government operations.
Their work enables the Inuit population – who still maintain a subsistence lifestyle – to continue their centuries-old traditions while having a modern safety net.
From plucking stranded hunters from the tundra to airlifting emergency supplies to remote communities, this aviation unit has become an indispensable part of life above the Arctic Circle.
Leadership and fleet
At the helm of this vital operation are 2 aviation professionals whose complementary skills keep the mission airborne. Director for North Slope Borough SAR Heather Dingman oversees the entire 39-person department, managing budgets, interagency coordination, and policy decisions.
While she is an experienced helicopter pilot, her current administrative responsibilities have made it hard for her to be a part of the flight line. “This is a reality that comes when you lead Alaska’s most geographically challenged air service,” she explains.
Chief Pilot Josh Grier stands at the helm of the aviation unit. His mission is to keep a fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft ready for anything – from medevacs in whiteout conditions to rescuing tourists stranded on disintegrating ice floes.
Grier’s journey has been anything but conventional. A former US Army helicopter pilot and global flight instructor, he traded desert deployments and corporate training centers for the relentless challenges of Arctic aviation.
“They tricked me into being chief pilot,” he jokes, but his leadership is no accident. With 4500 flight hours and a background in military command, Grier now oversees an operation that blends SAR, emergency medical transport, and even FBI support – all while navigating a labyrinth of FAA regulations.
Yet, for all the hardship, Grier’s pride is almost palpable. Despite the times when NSBSAR’s services were not needed – whether it was the Iñupiaq hunter who self-rescued before the team arrived or the 90 villagers who escaped drifting ice floes with grit alone – the mission remains essential. “We’re not just saving lives,” he says. “We’re enabling a way of life.”
The current fleet reflects the diverse needs of Arctic operations. The unit operates a Sikorsky S-92 that serves as the primary SAR helicopter, backed by an upgraded Bell 412SP. For medical evacuations, a Pilatus PC-24 jet and Beechcraft B300C King Air 350ER turboprop are the aircraft of choice for short- and long-range capabilities.
However, recognizing the logistical difficulties of maintaining multiple aircraft types in the Arctic, the department plans to streamline operations by transitioning to an all-Leonardo AW189 helicopter fleet by 2027.
Helicopter operations
The department’s rotary-wing assets form the tip of the spear in emergency response. The Sikorsky S-92, equipped with FLIR systems, night vision goggles (NVGs), and deicing capabilities, represents the gold standard for SAR operations in extreme environments.
Its ability to locate a heat signature in complete darkness or whiteout conditions has saved countless hunters stranded on the tundra. The Bell 412, while older, provides crucial backup capacity and handles shorter-range missions.
These helicopters don’t just perform rescues – they enable an entire way of life. When a local hunter’s snow machine fails 100 miles from the nearest village, or when adventure tourists underestimate the dangers of the Gates of The Arctic, the North Slope Borough SAR team responds.
The most common calls involve transportation failures, such as ATVs or snow machines breaking down in the wilderness. But the unit also handles other types of emergencies, from polar bear encounters to missing hikers. Notably, all crews carry firearms during missions, a sobering reminder that rescue operations here unfold in active polar bear habitat.
The helicopters’ medical capabilities provide vital stabilization during village medevacs.
With a standard crew of 2 pilots, one flight mechanic (who doubles as sensor operator), and 2 paramedics, they bridge the gap between remote injury sites and proper medical care, which many times has meant the difference between life and death in a region where the nearest trauma center could be hundreds of miles away.
The long-distance lifeline
Although helicopters handle the last mile of Arctic rescues, the department’s fixed-wing fleet provides the long-range capability needed in such a vast territory.
The Pilatus PC-24, with its Lifeport medical interior, serves as the airborne ICU for critical patients needing transport to Anchorage or Fairbanks. Its speed and range make it ideal for bypassing the borough’s limited hospital in Utqiaġvik when advanced care is required.
The Beechcraft King Air 350ER turboprop handles shorter medical transfers between villages and the Utqiaġvik hospital. Like its jet counterpart, it features a Lifeport medical interior configured for emergency care. Both aircraft fly with 2 pilots and 2 paramedics.
These fixed-wing assets also play unexpected roles in borough life. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they delivered vaccine teams to remote villages.
When winter power plant failures threaten entire communities with freezing temperatures, they’ve airlifted repair technicians. Their versatility underscores a key reality of Arctic aviation – every aircraft must be capable of multirole operations, because there’s simply no backup available.
The human factor
Maintaining readiness in such an extreme environment demands a special breed of aviator. The department’s 14 pilots support 8 active duty slots due to training and leave requirements.
They work a demanding 2-weeks-on, 2-weeks-off schedule. This rotation acknowledges the mental and physical toll of Arctic operations, where missions may involve navigating blizzards one day and polar bear threats the next.
Lead Pilot Nuri van Hattum brings global SAR expertise to the operation. With almost 7000 flight hours spanning Norway’s fjords to the jungles of Borneo, his career has prepared him perfectly for North Slope’s extreme conditions. Now, he focuses on flight operations, crew training, and mission planning – critical roles given the department’s around-the-clock responsibilities.
Training happens far from the Arctic chill, at Flight Safety Intl (FSI) centers in Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Pilots undergo simulator sessions 4 times annually – an intensive schedule reflecting the diverse aircraft types they operate.
Pilots also receive specialty training, such as upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) for fixed-wing ops, where ice-covered runways and sudden storms demand razor-sharp skills. In-house drills include whiteout landings, NVG operations, and SAR scenarios with dummies planted on the tundra.
The flight mechanics – all 11 of them cross-trained as maintainers – add another layer of capability, operating sensor systems during rescues while keeping the aircraft mission-ready.
The mission mix reflects the borough’s unique needs – a combination of SAR missions, medical transport, and other emergencies that require air transport.
This diversity requires crews to be jacks-of-all-trades, performing crucial life saving missions, transporting police officers to remote locations, or delivering emergency generators to villages during power outages.
Keeping the fleet mission-ready
Maintaining aircraft in the Arctic is a constant battle against geography and physics. The department’s 11 mechanics perform miracles keeping the fleet airborne, conducting most routine maintenance in-house at their Utqiaġvik base. These aren’t just ground crew – they’re flight-certified mechanics who often fly missions, operating sensor systems and assisting with rescues between turning wrenches.
Major maintenance, however, requires creative solutions. The Pilatus PC-24 must travel to a Williams engine service center in Colorado for annual inspections.
The S-92’s major inspections (every 2000–3000 flight hours) were previously handled by Heli-One in Canada, although long turnaround times have the department seeking alternatives.
These challenges influenced the decision to transition to an all-Leonardo AW189 fleet. The agreement with Leonardo includes protection against slow aircraft on ground (AOG) response.
In the Arctic, where a single grounded helicopter could mean lives lost, such contractual guarantees pose moral imperatives more than just business.
The indispensable aviators
The North Slope Borough SAR department embodies the spirit of Arctic resilience. In a land where roads don’t exist, and only one major hospital exists to serve the entire 95,000 acre region, their aircraft serve as a life-or-death connection for thousands of residents.
From the Sikorsky S-92 braving blizzards to locate a missing hunter, to the Pilatus PC-24 racing a cardiac patient to Anchorage, every mission carries the weight of an entire community’s survival.
As climate change opens the Arctic to more activity and more potential emergencies, the department’s planned transition to the Leonardo AW189 fleet represents more than an equipment upgrade – it’s a commitment to maintaining this vital lifeline for generations to come.
In a place where the nearest help may be 400 miles away across frozen wilderness, Dingman, Grier, van Hattum, and their team of aviators and mechanics don’t just perform rescues.
Their story transcends aircraft operations – they make modern life possible above the Arctic Circle. And as the AW189s loom on the horizon, the unit’s focus remains on the people – both the crew and the communities they serve.