Helicopter rescue team hones skills

Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members watch Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, as team members are lowered to the ground from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members watch Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, as team members are lowered to the ground from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Emergency responders spent Wednesday practicing water rescues with an Arkansas National Guard helicopter at Lake Wedington.

John Luther, Washington County's emergency management director, said the day's work was part of an effort to coordinate the resources of multiple local and state agencies.

Luther said the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team has been doing dry land training exercises for several months but Wednesday's exercise was the first to practice water rescues.

"This is our maiden voyage, you might say," Luther said while observing the drills.

The National Guard provides hoist-capable helicopters and crews for the rescue team, according to a press release from the Arkansas National Guard. The team was using a Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota helicopter based at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock.

Jonathan Watson, a member of the crew, said the helicopter can reach almost any part of Arkansas in an hour's flying time, weather permitting. He said the National Guard will have designated stand-by crews ready to be sent at any time.

[GALLERY: The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducts helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members » nwaonline.com/1022taskforce/]

Luther said the one-hour flight time might seem lengthy, but in many instances it isn't.

"If we have a one- or two-hour trek to reach a victim then having this aircraft able to reach the scene in an hour saves us time on the back side," Luther said. "They can fly to the scene, hoist the victim and first-responders aboard and be on the way in minutes. They can be receiving medical treatment the whole time from our first-responders. Without it, we'd have to carry someone out for that one or two hour trek and they'd be jostled around the whole time."

Willie Watts, assistant fire chief with the Fayetteville Fire Department and team leader for the helicopter rescue team, was one of the members practicing Wednesday. Watts said the task force has done land and water rescues in the past and practicing with the helicopter will improve their skills.

The team members have to learn how to hook onto the hoist from inside the helicopter, lower themselves into the water, and disengage. They then hook up to the hoist while in the water and are lifted up from the water and back into the helicopter.

Watts said the Northwest Arkansas team is more likely to be called into situations where flooding has occurred than to a large body of water but the techniques are similar.

"Your ability to manipulate things in the water is different than is it on dry land," Watts said. "We're able to improve our motor skills in the water."

Watts said it's also important to learn how to work with the helicopter crews and for them to understand how the emergency responders work. He said communications are limited to hand signals in some situations.

Arkansas' Division of Emergency Management has the Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1, based in Washington County and the Central Arkansas Task Force 1, based in Pulaski County.

Both task forces contribute members to the Helicopter Rescue Team. Agencies that have members on the Northwest Task Force includes Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Siloam Springs fire departments, Washington County Emergency Management and the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members watch Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, as team members are lowered to the ground from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members watch Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, as team members are lowered to the ground from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
A Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 member is pulled Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, from the water by a Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
A Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 member is pulled Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, from the water by a Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Kevin Sbanotto, a firefighter with the Fayetteville Fire Department and member of Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1, is lowered to the ground Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Kevin Sbanotto, a firefighter with the Fayetteville Fire Department and member of Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1, is lowered to the ground Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training at Lake Wedington. The Arkansas National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade conducted routine helicopter rescue training with Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 members as part of the Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team training at Lake Wedington near Fayetteville. The training acquaints local rescue personnel with military aircraft, rescue equipment and communications to prepare for a joint rescue or recovery. Visit nwaonline.com/201022Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

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Helicopter Rescue Team

The Arkansas Helicopter Rescue Team is a joint partnership between the Arkansas National Guard, Central Arkansas Task Force 1, Northwest Arkansas Task Force 1 and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management. The highly specialized aerial search and rescue team provides air assets to Arkansas for response to natural and man-made disasters.

Source: Arkansas National Guard

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