Grand Rapid Press
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Firefighters had reached the 10th floor when a nurse told them they had one more flight to climb before reaching the helipad atop Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, where a medical helicopter had just crashed.
Exhausted firefighters reached the roof and opened the door to the helipad, where the Aero Med helicopter was engulfed in flames. Just moments earlier, firefighters got word the pilot, Raymond Sampson, and passenger Willard Elliott, a Federal Aviation Administration instructor, had survived and were clinging to ductwork on the side of the building.
“It’s one you don’t forget,” fire Lt. Ron Sabin recalled Wednesday, after Grand Rapids firefighters and police officers were honored by the city with “Team Achievement” awards for their efforts during the May 29 crash. The pilot and the passenger were rescued and treated for their injuries.
In a ceremony at police headquarters, in front of a banner signed by hospital staff that read, “Thank You Emergency Responders!” City Manager Kurt Kimball praised rescuers for their bravery and hard work in the face of what “could’ve been most tragic circumstances.”
Kimball and others expected disaster when they saw flames and heavy smoke coming from the hospital’s rooftop.
Deputy Fire Chief Jeff VanDellen recalled a “lot of anxious moments.”
Sabin said firefighters got to the scene quickly. They wanted to use elevators, but they were locked because of the fire. Rather than wait for security officers with keys, firefighters dashed up the stairs while patients and employees were being evacuated from the hospital.
“It was the only way to do it,” Sabin said.