First responders from Vancouver, Portland and several other agencies were mobilized Thursday after a crew member on a ocean-going freighter had a medical problem.
The stricken man was aboard the Star Life, a 550-foot Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier.
The inbound ship was just preparing to anchor, approximately two nautical miles downriver from Kelley Point Park, when a crew member had a medical emergency, according to a news release from the Portland Fire Bureau.
Portland Fire Dispatch was informed of the incident by the Columbia River pilot’s dispatcher at 1:45 p.m. Columbia River pilots board vessels in Astoria, Ore., and accompany the ship’s captain as they navigate the river. Response to this incident was complicated by difficulty in locating the vessel according to the news release.
A crew from Portland Fire Station 17 responded to the Star Life, boarding it via a gangway lowered from the larger vessel. Portland Rescue Boat 17 then requested assistance from Fireboat 6. Firefighters, once aboard the Star Life, were able to assess and stabilize the patient — an engineer who was having an allergic reaction.