Longtime National Park Service employee Dave Kreutzer has resigned his position at the Talkeetna Ranger Station. After 17 seasons of employment in Talkeetna, he has taken a permanent position in Yellowstone National Park.
Kreutzer was a well-known figure at the Talkeetna Ranger Station as Helicopter Manager. According to John Leonard, head mountaineering ranger, he ushered in the current day helicopter operations. He started in Talkeetna in 1993. For years, he worked the climbing season in Denali and would leave for Yellowstone to work their fire season from August through October. He was hired in 1999 as a permanent staff member in Talkeetna.
According to Park Service spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin, he put innumerable improvements into the system that have kept the highest altitude short-haul operation in the world accident-free for over 1,000 hours of helicopter flight time. He was instrumental in designing a specialized bag that could transport a patient and attendant safely on a short haul line in 50 knot winds. He also helped devise a release mechanism for the short haul line.
Kruetzer represents Denali National Park and other NPS aviation programs as a committee chairperson at the National Shorthaul conference each February. He taught helicopter safety classes to mountain guides, EMS responders and military personal annually. He was instrumental in structuring the safety and operating regulations for short haul helicopter programs on a national level.
Talkeetna rangers bid farwell to Kruetzer this past weekend as he took off to the lower 48.
His position at the Talkeetna Ranger Station as helicopter manager is currently open.
