The Captain Frank A. Erickson Award is presented to the Sector Humboldt Bay crew of CGNR 6561, LCDR Derek L. Schramel, LTJG Adam J. Ownbey, AMT3 Tyler S. Cook, and AST1 P. Graham McGinnis, in recognition of their heroic efforts on 05 September, 2019, responding to a report of two critically injured firefighters requiring extraction from a steep forested area within an active wildfire. Having just completed a two hour training sortie, CGNR 6561 launched at 2300 and, shortly before midnight, entered a valley obscured by smoke with no visual horizon, steep terrain, and intense flames. Battling bouts of vertigo, updrafts, and night vision goggle (NVG) washout from the flames below, LCDR Schramel established a hover above the hoisting area after multiple attempts. AST1 McGinnis was hoisted to the confined area, where he began to assess the patients and prepare for a litter hoist until LTJG Ownbey determined there would not be enough time to hoist the patient and the Rescue Swimmer before needing to refuel. AMT3 Cook aborted the hoist and CGNR 6515 recovered at a full-service airfield to reassess the mission. Although they assessed the mission as high risk, the crew determined the mission still had a reasonable chance of success and would undoubtedly save the lives of both firefighters. All unneeded items were removed from the helicopter to reduce weight, increase fuel capacity, and create room in the cabin to hoist both patients. The crew of CGNR 6515 launched on their third sortie of the day at 0256. Arriving back at the scene, the crew noticed the fire had advanced down the hill to the edge of the hoisting area and flanked the clearing on three sides. During the first approach, updrafts buffeted the aircraft and resulted in a sudden increase in descent rate that could not be arrested, forcing LCDR Schramel to fly down the hillside to avoid impacting the trees. He then used an alternative second approach, avoiding the updrafts, and established a hover with the fire line now at the edge of the clearing. Using linked trail lines, additional weight bags, and a non-standard Litter Augmented Double Pick-Up (LADPU) procedure, AMT3 Cook hoisted AST1 McGinnis to the steep slope using nearly all of the hoist cable. AST1 McGinnis then hauled the litter 25 feet up the steep terrain and wedged his legs underneath it for support while loading the first firefighter. AMT3 Cook and AST1 McGinnis recovered the first patient and extracted the 280-pound man from the litter. AST1 McGinnis injured his back during this process but willingly re-rigged the litter for another LADPU and was delivered to the hoisting area where the flames began to climb the surrounding trees. AST1 McGinnis again unhooked from the hoist and wedged his legs underneath the litter to stabilize it, allowing the second patient to be loaded. AMT3 Cook was unable to see the hoisting area due to increased smoke but LTJG Ownbey faintly heard AST1 McGinnis call for pick-upon on the radio. AST1 McGinnis was then hoisted through the smoke and the second patient was safely loaded into the cabin. LCDR Schramel used 100 percent engine power to prevent settling into the trees while LTJG Ownbey provided essential backup of power, position, and altitude. LCDR Schramel flew out of the hoisting area and passed controls to LTJG Ownbey after total exhaustion from over 30 minutes of precision hoisting. CGNR 6561 then flew to the nearby helibase and transferred the patients to waiting medical helicopters at 0357.