Missing Helicopter: A 911 Dispatcher's Most Haunting Call | Ep#95 Valerie Blair

A backcountry mayday. A helicopter goes silent.
From the 911 console, Valerie orchestrates the search when no one knows where to look.
This is the unseen weight dispatchers carry when lives are on the line.

In Episode 95 of The Wild Chaos Podcast, Valerie, a former Jackson, Wyoming firefighter, EMT, and 911 dispatcher, takes us inside the moments between panic and rescue—the part of emergency response the public never sees.

She breaks down how dispatchers read between the lines, anticipate needs before responders ask, and manage multiple agencies in real time. From violent domestic calls to mountain rescues, Valerie explains why location is the first thing you should say when dialing 911 and how small clues can change outcomes.

Then comes the call that changed everything: a helicopter vanishes during a backcountry rescue. No smoke. No coordinates. No answers. Valerie coordinates ground teams, aircraft, and agencies for hours until a lone snowmobiler finds the wreckage hidden under trees. One rescuer dies. Two survive. A community mourns.

CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Cold Open: The Missing Helicopter
00:00:44 Meet Valerie: Fire And EMS Roots
00:06:40 Volunteer Academy And Early Calls
00:15:13 Jackson’s Calls: Frequent Flyers And Odd Rescues
00:26:54 Crashes, Canyons, And Backcountry Medicine
00:34:30 Why Dispatch: Training And Tools
00:44:10 The Mental Math Of Multi-Channel Chaos
00:50:40 Reading Voices, Saving Lives
00:57:56 Nightmares At 3:15 AM
01:02:20 The Helicopter Crash Search
01:14:20 Mayday, No Coordinates
01:21:40 Found In The Trees: Aftermath
01:30:00 Holding The Line And Letting Go
01:39:20 The Call That Ended Dispatch
01:49:40 Speaking Up, Getting Punished

We also confront the cost—sleepless nights, cumulative trauma, the stigma around mental health in public safety, and what happens when asking for help is punished instead of supported.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens after you hang up with 911, this conversation brings clarity, respect, and hard-earned wisdom.

👉 Subscribe, share with someone in public safety, and leave a review with what changed how you think about calling 911.


Please visit our website to get more information: https://wildchaosshow.com/

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Welcome to The Wild Chaos Podcast, where real, raw, and remarkable stories are shared. Hosted by U.S. Marine Corps veteran Bam Marshall, this podcast gives a voice to extraordinary people who’ve faced chaos and come out stronger.

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Missing Helicopter: A 911 Dispatcher's Most Haunting Call | Ep#95 Valerie Blair