It wasn’t as easy as strapping her on the gurney and loading up into the ambulance.

Sounder reporter Cali Bagby and I participated in a training exercise with Orcas Fire and Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard on Nov. 6. Cali agreed to be a patient and it proved to be much more involved than either of us anticipated.

The volunteer EMTs – Jenole and Jaylin Peacock and Dirk Swierczynski – were led by division chief and paramedic Mik Preysz. Cali was treated as though she had experienced severe head trauma.

She was fitted with a neck brace, wrapped in blankets, strapped to the board, had her vitals monitored and was given an I.V. and oxygen – although that part was simulated. The end of result left only her face visible in a mess of cloth, tubes, tape and utter immobility.

Cali was then loaded onto a waiting Coast Guard vessel in Obstruction Pass. The point of the exercise was to work out any logistical issues with using one of the CG’s boats to transport a patient to Bellingham.

Tucked into the v-berth, Cali tried to relax as the boat made its way to the Orcas Ferry Landing dock. Even with close to 15 people on board, the 45-foot vessel went 43 knots.

“We can call on them,” said Orcas Fire Chief Kevin O’Brien. “They are experts in marine operations, so I want to make sure we have a very close relationship with them.”

There is no cost for the patient to receive help from the Coast Guard. Based out of Bellingham, the unit covers all of Puget Sound – from Point Roberts down to Deception Pass.

Petty Officer First Class Jordan Galloway, who captained the boat during the exercise, says it takes 20 to 25 minutes to get ready and load the vessel and then another 20 to get from Bellingham to Orcas. The most common calls they handle are boats that have run aground or are taking on water and vessel fires.

“We would only use them in an extreme situation because they are covering a big area,” O’Brien said.

One of those situations might be if the weather is too bad for a helicopter to fly or if the Sheriff’s boat “The Guardian,” which is currently undergoing repairs, is out of commission.

“It is so important to keep the lines of communication open with the Coast Guard,” O’Brien said.