. >> reporter: rescue swimmer kirk peterson was aboard the first helicopter sent to the scene.n the way, reports grew more dire by the minute. >> started progressing to rig explosion, rig on fire, 106 people in the water with injuries. it kept growing and growing. >> reporter: as they circled the blazing "deepwater horizon," it was immediately apparent they were flying into a full blown catastrophe. with the chopper running low on fuel, the 39-year-old father of two was hoisted onto the nearby supply ship that had now become, by necessity, a hospital. hundreds of people were treated that night in the dark in what became a makeshift triage. some of the injuries were critical. 17 rig workers needed urgent care. in the black of night lit only by the burning rig beside them, peterson loaded survivors into rescue baskets that were then hoisted into choppers and headed to hospitals. >> this is the first time i have been out here since that night. >> reporter: he remembers working through the night, treating dozens more who were less seriously injured. >> i've got a job to do. i mean,