Story ID: 
Covid Drives Spike in Bristow SAR Missions
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Bristow says 66 percent of its search and rescue missions in the Gulf of Mexico were Covid-related. 
Word Count: 171
Bristow’s Gulf of Mexico (GOM) search and rescue (SAR) team reached more than 1,000 missions for the year, rescuing or assisting 1,065 people. Sixty-six percent of these missions were Covid-related, the company said.

GOM missions in 2021 substantially surpassed SAR missions in the region in 2018 and 2019 when they amounted to 144 and 185, respectively. Bristow’s GOM SAR team is operating from New Iberia, Louisiana, following extensive damage to its base at Galliano, Louisiana, from Hurricane Ida earlier this year. 

“We keep a rigorous training regimen with varied scenarios that prepare us for any situation,” said Jon Kruse, Bristow operations manager. “We are prepared to work with any size vessel, day or night, in different weather and sea conditions. Whether it’s hurricanes, medical, Covid, boats dead in the water, open water, mass casualty situations—we’re ready to respond. We want to do the most amount of good for the most amount of people, and the team, including our top-notch mechanics, puts in the work to remain prepared.”