Air Beat Magazine - Journal of the
Airborne Law Enforcement Association
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DUAL ROLES: Two Missions Under One Hat
By James D. Paules, Jr.
In this current climate of doing more with less, public safety agencies
are increasingly called upon to wear a variety of hats. Often, no other law
enforcement unit has a bigger hat rack than aviation support. The mission
call out may entail surveillance, law enforcement and patrol duties or
high-altitude mountain search and rescue operations. While these two
missions require increasingly different tactics, training and equipment,
more and more airborne units are being asked to do both.
In the 2001 film, “We Were Soldiers”, Mel Gibson recounts the bloody origins
of the U.S. Army’s Air Cavalry during the early stages of the Vietnam
conflict. The film features great aerial cinematography and flight
sequences, plus when one of his officers asks Gibson what he thinks about
being both a soldier and a father, Gibson replies, “ ... I hope that being
good at the one makes me better at the other ... “
This then is the central theme for our profile of air operations units
that engage in both law enforcement and search and rescue. Does the training
to be good at one mission translate into better performance and results for
the other mission? This was the question we posed to a number of airborne
law enforcement units around the country and their challenges in wearing
those two hats.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Aero Bureau
One airborne unit that has had its upbringing affected by the double duty
of law enforcement and search and rescue is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Aero Bureau. Based at the Long Beach Airport, LASD Aero Bureau is currently
under the leadership of ALEA member Captain James A. Di Giovanna who brings
to the job over thirty years of experience with LASD and fifteen years with
the Sheriff’s Aero Bureau.
True to the Sheriff’s Department motto, “A Tradition of Service,” the
Aero Bureau carries out a diverse number of tasks and the department has
become something of the poster child for multi-tasking in the world of
airborne service. The department covers a range of severe environments that
include mountains, rivers and lakes, deserts, and even Santa Catalina
Island, located 26 miles off the California coast. Missions run the whole
gamut of civil government helicopter operations including patrol support,
covert surveillance, mountain search and rescue, paramedic services, victim
treatment and air transport, and of course, swift water rescue.
It’s likely that the LASD’s Aero Bureau started in both the law
enforcement and search and rescue business on that fateful day in 1955 when
they took delivery of their first Bell 47G Helicopter. Since then, their
dual mission role has only expanded as well as their fleet. Currently in the
process of replacing their MD products with American Eurocopter A-Stars, the
composition of the Aero Bureau fleet, perhaps more than any other in the
country, shows the effects of wearing those two hats. The sleek American
Eurocopter AS350-B2 ASTAR is used for patrol and surveillance, and the
muscle of the Sikorsky H-3 Sea King for mountain search and rescue. They are
two distinctly different aircraft for each mission in the new millennium.
L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Aero Bureau is the largest sheriffs
aviation unit in the country, and it is widely regarded as one of the
world’s premier air rescue squads with a broad scope of airborne services
ranging from patrol support to homeland security to search and rescue
operations. The patrol helicopters support all law enforcement ground units
involved in police activity. With the use of advanced technology, the
aircrews provide real time proactive support to law enforcement personnel
and Command Operation Centers.
The AIR-5 rescue program provides some of the most advanced technical
rescue capabilities available in the nation. With a flight crew of two
deputy pilots, a sergeant crew chief and two Emergency Service Detail deputy
paramedics, the team is deployed on search and rescue and over water
operations, and can rapidly deploy Tactical Response Forces during major
incidents or fly critical resources into remote areas during natural
disasters.
With a full plate of missions, Di Giovanna understands, perhaps better
than most, the hurdles of flight crew training that faces an airborne unit
handling both patrol and search and rescue. “One of the biggest challenges
we face is that the two missions require significantly different piloting
skills,” Di Giovanna notes. “This is largely due to the diverse environment
within which the two missions are flown.” Di Giovanna explains that even
though pilots join the Aero Bureau with a significant number of flight hours
and experience, they must have 2,500 hours before looking at a spot on the
AIR-5 program.
Even within the AIR-5 program itself, the training protocols need to
cover mountain flying, the possibility of fast-rope insertions of SWAT teams
or deploying swift water rescue resources into any of the 470 miles of flood
control channels that crisscross the Los Angeles basin. The big Sikorsky H-3
also means two qualified pilots in the cockpit, which brings a special
training aspect into the H-3 program. “We’ve made it a priority with the H-3
crews for CRM (Cockpit Resource Management) and instrument training,” Di
Giovanna said.
Running a two-program shop also means making choices and sometimes living
with less than you need. “Like many programs,“ Di Giovanna admitted, “our
shortages are people and money, especially for the AIR-5 rescue ships.” Di
Giovanna explained that AIR-5 is available seven days per week only on a
seasonal basis, the remainder of the time it’s deployed four days per week.
“We schedule patrol ships to support our deputies on the ground and
schedule AIR-5 when we believe they’ll provide the best response for
rescues. It’s a constant balancing act to keep the resources aligned with
the mission load and keep it all running within the budget we’re given.”
How does that mission load break down for the LASD Aero Bureau? Although
the summer months brings out the extreme sports fanatics and drive up the
SAR percentage, Di Giovanna estimates that flight hours associated with
traditional law enforcement and patrol duties account for 65 to 70 percent
of his team’s time, while SAR operations range from 10 to 15 percent, with
the balance of flight hours spent on surveillance, transportation and
training.
The Aero Bureau recently celebrated 75 years of airborne service to the
community, many of those years completed while wearing two hats and flying
two types of missions. For the airborne agency that is considering expanding
their mission box into SAR because LASD make it looks easy, listen to
Captain Di Giovanna. “It’s never, never easy to balance the two missions. Be
certain there really is a mission to expand into,” he cautions. “Don’t let
the desire for the mission drive the mission. Years of our operations have
taught us the value of constant, clear risk assessment for each mission.”
Sound advice, whichever hat your unit is wearing.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
As part of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma Highway
Patrol has been charged with maintaining the safety of the 111,994 miles of
roads and highways in the Sooner state since its creation in 1937. The
Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) currently has about 680 members. The majority
of the members are assigned to the thirteen field Troops, A through M, and
the turnpike Troops, X and Y. These troopers are first responders to
emergency situations from traffic collisions to natural disasters and civil
disorders. Troopers provide everyday service to the public and are prepared
and willing to assist any law enforcement agency when asked and perceptive
to take the initiative to offer assistance when needed.
In 1949, the department became one of the first law enforcement agencies
in the nation to utilize aircraft for traffic enforcement based on the
vision and hard work of Trooper Art Hamilton, commonly regarded as the
originator of the OHP’s aviation unit. The Aircraft Division quickly proved
itself in the law enforcement arena.
Based at the Wiley Post Airport near Bethnay Oklahoma, the OHP air
support unit is Troop O. The fleet consists of nine Cessna 182s, two OH-58s,
and a King Air 350. The 13-member Troop O flies more than 3,500 flight hours
annually. The air support unit is under the command of Lt. Rick Dodson, who
has been with the OHP as a trooper for 20 years and in the Aircraft Division
since 1995.
Until 2001, this unit operated the fixed wing aircraft and was able to
only perform searches. Combined with the newly acquired military surplus
helicopters, the agency is now expanding its mission profile. The
helicopters were modified with avionics, thermal imaging and video downlink
as well as a rescue harness and net.
“We often find ourselves over waterways looking for drowning victims or
over wooded areas looking for lost children, missing or injured hunters or
tracking Alzheimer’s patients,” said Dodson. “Since the airplanes are
constantly flying, they are usually first on the scene. The helicopters are
then called in to perform the search and/or rescue, equipped as needed.”
Dodson estimates that 10 to 15 percent of the OHP’s overall missions are
now search and rescue related. “Right now, we’re the best team we’ve ever
been,” he said. “As we continue to evolve in SAR missions, I think that
becoming better at one mission will definitely help in the other.”
NYPD Aviation Unit
Expanding the mission profile to fit unique environments is something the
NYPD Aviation Unit has defined for over sixty years. Based at the Floyd
Bennet Field in Brooklyn and flying in the urban landscape of New York
surrounded by water, it’s no wonder that the NYPD Aviation Unit has easily
worn the two hats of airborne patrol and search and rescue.
One of the very early adopters of aviation in law enforcement, the NYPD
has been flying since 1929 when it was given an early mandate for Air Sea
rescue operations. With the Manhattan skyline a major part of their horizon,
it is a quick six-minute hop to the World Trade Center site. Currently under
the command of Deputy Inspector Joseph Gallucci, Lt. Glenn A. Daley, the
current ALEA Northeast Region Director, is also a member of the Unit Command
Staff.
As Lt. Daley explains it, “ ... there’s a lot of water in our area for
folks to get into trouble in and that’s when we go to work.” Evidently
business is good, because the aviation unit is staffed up and running around
the clock with a fleet that includes two Bell 412s, one Bell 206 Long Ranger
and three 206 Jet Rangers, a toolbox that brings the right tools to the
multi-mission job at hand.
“During the acquisition of the Bell 412s, we had a good sense of the
mission demands,” Daley explains. “We wound up with the first 412 SAR ship
in the continental U.S. with a four-axis autopilot with auto-approach and
auto-hover capabilities.” Daley explains that the system reduces pilot
workload significantly, especially during let downs over water in poor
weather when outside visual cues or reference points may be minimal.
Their specialized Bell 412 SAR aircraft also features a Flight Management
System that includes a search pattern program that can predict the drift of
waterborne objects as well as the ability to lock onto surface targets with
the radar, fly to them and then execute an auto approach and hover. “We
don’t want to fly to where an accident happened, we want to go where the
victims may have drifted to,” Daley adds. Although he noted that the 412s
are the best fit for their double duty mission, they are looking forward to
taking delivery of four shiny new Agusta 119s next year that will replace
their Jet Rangers.
Being good at both missions comes down to a simple equation according to
Daley, “It’s the training,“ and he adds that having a clear view of the
mission and bringing the right tools along are key elements.
“Our bread and butter is Air Sea rescue,” Daley explains, “and
understanding that means our unit has assigned to it the NYPD Harbor Unit
Scuba Team, the only full-time airborne rescue divers in this country. They
work twelve-hour tours, and they are based here with the aviation unit,
right here, right now, ready to go.”
Daley estimates the mission mix at 70 percent patrol and 30 percent
search and rescue, but sees changes down the road. “A lot of our general
patrol has given way to special surveillance since 9/11,” Daley explains.
“Since the new homeland defense is a mindset of prevention, we’re often
flying surveillance and patrol in a very high profile manner just to let
everyone on the ground know we’re keeping an eye out ... from a very, very
good vantage point.”
One distinct benefit of wearing both hats is the diversity of missions
for pilots. “Our pilots love the mix of missions,” Daley admits. “They might
be flying a water SAR mission with divers deployed from the skids in the
morning and a high altitude covert surveillance that afternoon.” Clearly,
this is a group of pilots who appreciate that wide hat rack.
For the airborne unit currently flying a patrol role but looking at a
bigger mission, Daley offers some advice. “Don’t spend time re-inventing the
wheel, talk to other aviation units. Get their procedures and SOPs and ask
for their training curriculum and their checklists.” Daley added that the
ALEA membership and the ALEA website is an excellent source of contacts and
resources. “Learn from our mistakes ... and our successes.”
According to Hollywood, success on the silver screen is often the result
of large caliber weapons and fast cars, and of course, a cool helicopter
never hurts. In the previous mentioned film, Mel Gibson’s character returns
home safely. However, in the unforgiving real world of airborne law
enforcement, getting home safely is more often about teamwork, training and
sound mission planning.
Speaking with ‘double duty’ airborne units from coast to coast with years
of experience, the message is simple: being good at one mission is clearly a
very good way to be better at the other.
(Back to top)
Helicopter Rescue Missions:
Pilots Without Passion Need Not Apply
By Deputy Terry C. Ascherin
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Air Rescue 5
Building The Team
Canvass your agency’s database for potential hidden gems. You may find
out that the quiet guy over in traffic was a Navy rescue swimmer or the
patrol training officer is an experienced National Guard pilot skilled in
fire fighting and high altitude rescues in a Sikorsky H-60.
Many organizations rely heavily on reserves or a volunteer pool. This is
an ideal way to fortify your new rescue unit without burdening the budget.
Recruiting outside qualified personnel is another useful tool to fulfill
your staff requirements. Advertisements and word of mouth may also produce
several potential reserve candidates. /p>
Once an aviation unit decides to provide rescue services, assigned
personnel are usually expected to transition with training into the rescue
mode. Many agencies have started in just this way, using little steps to
feel their way slowly to success. Research the options, visit established
rescue organizations, and network with your counterparts.
Helicopter rescue is a challenging, multifaceted adventure featuring
cliffhangers, overturned cars, hunting accidents, lost hikers, horse
extractions, hospital transfers, flood and swift water rescues, injured
skiers, pregnant campers, twisted ankles, automobile accidents, snake bites,
skinned knees, knife wounds, overdoses, self-inflicted GSWs, drowning
victims, missing persons, organ transportation, the occasional injured cop
or fireman, and a host of unimaginable missions. In the years to come, you
will shock and amaze your dinner guests with the humorous and tragic stories
you have encountered. This is only a small list of challenges awaiting you.
Crew Medical Training
Crew safety and victim medical training is essential and expected today.
You’re only as good as your least-trained team member. This is a daunting
challenge for most of us flying cops. It is a good idea for crewmembers to
take some advanced first aid or paramedic training in their spare time. Go
back to school? Ouch! But yes, it takes time to train any group to the high
standards we have come to expect.
With terrorism rearing its ugly head, we are now required to provide an
even higher level of service. Some of the training you receive now may
someday be practiced on your own team members or family. Medical training is
a long, continuous and tedious journey, but a necessary and worthy trip.
Pilot Technique Training
Helicopter rescue pilot technique training is also a necessary
evolutionary process. You start slowly, gaining experience with which to
build on. Controlled training environments will minimize risk and enhance
confidence, as in these examples:
- Pick safe, obtainable goals within the experience level of your group.
- Brief and critique each step to assure that the safest operating
procedures and guidelines are being followed.
- Faithfully practice crew resource management.
- Seek outside experts to enhance your library of knowledge.
- Question each other with the “what if this emergency happened
in-flight or what if that happened during a hover rescue?” It just might
save you or the aircraft in a tight spot.
- Learn each other’s job so you can intuitively know what your fellow
crewmember will do in an emergency. When the team understands each other’s
duties, it makes for a safer working environment and fosters mutual
respect.
Rescue Equipment
Crew, medical and rescue equipment is like shopping for Christmas
presents. If you have a huge budget, no problem. But, that’s not the case
for most law enforcement aviation units. Equipment purchases should be
investigated on several levels. Know what missions you may be tasked with
and seek the right tools for the job.
Shop around and ask a lot of questions before you buy. Our budgets can’t
afford frivolous spending sprees. Seek out other agencies that fly similar
airframes and perform functions similar to those that you are intending to
provide. Use your ALEA directory to find out who flies what and give them a
call. Attending the ALEA conferences is also a great way to gather
information.
Ask yourself, “How much money is your agency able or willing to spend?
Will there be replacement funding yearly? Do you know what equipment or
tools you need?” This is a living list and don’t be surprised if it changes.
Change is fine as long as it’s on paper, and it is researched before the
purchase.
Some agencies have purchased tools that have lost their usefulness even
before they were used. Learn from other’s mistakes. Ideally, you’ll make an
informed choice on equipment and training, eliminating loss of budget
resources.
Prioritize Your Needs
The mission is the driving force behind what type of equipment your
agency should purchase. Helicopter hoists, long lines, short hauls, thermal
imagers, cargo hooks, searchlights, floats, NVGs, medical equipment and
interiors are costly and require a yearly budget to maintain due to wear,
damage, mishap and expiration dates.
Team equipment such as backpacks, mountain rescue radios, ropes,
carabineers, GPSs, overwater gear, snow shoes and cold or wet weather gear
are the tip of the iceberg. Your imagination can, and will, add to your wish
list. A healthy budget or several wealthy benefactors would fall very nicely
into your plans. As you can see, there are many avenues to explore.
Unit Analysis
Is your current airframe the correct one for a rescue mission? Is your
agency willing to invest millions in a rescue aircraft? Can you convince the
brass on the need to obtain a multi-mission package? Does your agency have a
memorandum of understanding with other agencies and is that memorandum offer
a revenue sharing plan?
Are you able or willing to zero time a military surplus airframe? Is
there a willing benefactor or benevolent company ready to assist your
agency? Would a bake sale help? Don’t laugh, I know of one agency that has
raised millions of dollars by holding golf tournaments and soliciting large
companies to donate to the cause.
Government grant programs are also an excellent way to obtain equipment,
aircraft and financial aid. In addition, think “outside the box” with
creative financing ideas (i.e., create a foundation) that will help your
agency augment their budgets for a rescue operation. Build citizen awareness
and ask for community input and help. This approach will bond the community
to your agency and will serve the community well. Locate a champion who will
carry the flag for your cause.
The cost of doing business is not cheap, and there’s certainly no
limitless money tree. But, if you can “sell” your program and show the need
to the community, you may find yourself looking at a new shiny helicopter
with all the rescue bells and whistles.
If an outright purchase fails, think rental during the busy cycles of
rescue responses. Some locations may have corporate or industrial companies
who provide aircraft for community service. Keep a focus on experience for
help in your quest for a rescue operation in your community.
Information
One way to get started as a new helicopter rescue unit is to network,
network, network. Visit with other agencies in your area that have a rescue
program. Many established rescue units have a history of cross-training with
other agencies. Veterans will be eager to share their knowledge. I have
found that every cop that has flown is more that eager to tell you of his or
her heroics.
Getting Started
I was very lucky to be accepted into a well-established air rescue unit
in 1974. Early in the 1960s, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
started their rescue unit flying Bell G-47s, adorned with skid-mounted
litters. These early flying machines had wooden blades. Scary, huh?!
Gradually, we worked our way up the food chain of airframes to our most
recent acquisition, the Sikorsky, Sea King (H-3) helicopter.
Also, LASO has had the exceptional luck to have a large group of
volunteer and reserve Deputy Mountain Rescue Team members to assist.
Reserves and volunteers have provided tens of thousands of hours of
dedicated service yearly.
One thing to be cautious of is that cops tend to be driven, and that
drive is fast. In rescue, fast is not always the best approach. A
well-trained and experienced crew is priceless. Decisions are made very
quickly during an emergency rescue. The cooperation, experience and decision
making of the rescue crew will determine the outcome of the mission.
Not a day goes by that I am not astounded by the intelligence of our law
enforcement, fire and military helicopter rescue communities. Take advantage
of every opportunity to listen and learn from your peers, and take their
helpful hints and tricks of the trade. It will make you a better rescue
operator.
One unexpected benefit when you network is the wealth of assistance at your
disposal in time of need. Don’t limit yourself to only law enforcement
agencies. The fire and military aviation communities have a wealth of
experience and knowledge you can draw from. Don’t miss out on this
opportunity.
My past experiences mixing fire and military with police provide a
caliber of training opportunities never obtained when working in a vacuum.
Once you have established a working relationship, only good seems to come
from it. During a disaster, there is no better feeling that to call on a
local friend who you can count on and know his capability. By networking
with your fellow public agencies, you can provide a higher level of service
to your community.
The Future
The Viet Nam War produced the first generation of truly turbine rescue
aircraft. The Bell UH-1 was the workhorse for utility, troop transport and
medevac rescue. Today, we are looking at a surplus fleet of military
airframes that have been adopted by many public service agencies through the
United States.
The public service community has benefited from the numerous combat trained
pilots that are now making their mark in the law enforcement profession as
patrol or rescue pilots. In the next few years, those pilots are reaching
retirement age and ending their career. The future looks bright for aspiring
law enforcement pilots. Pilots with passion need to apply!
(Back to top)
Search, Rescue and Risks
Safety in the SAR Mission
By Jay Fuller, ALEA Safety Coordinator
A state police helicopter launched shortly after daylight to initiate the
assigned search. A light aircraft had disappeared off radar the night before
and had not turned up at any local airports. It was wintertime where the
terrain was hilly and completely forested, but aerial search conditions were
perfect with no foliage and a light covering of snow to highlight impact
scars or aircraft wreckage. The weather had cooperated as well with clear
skies and little wind. /p>
After a two-hour search, the pilot and observer landed for fuel and
called to confirm their original briefing. They had been told that search
coordinates were based on an ELT hit and had minimized their search area to
the vicinity of the coordinates. The call verified that the coordinates
given were actually the last reported radar position. Once back in the air,
and by this time joined by two other department aircraft, the pilot and
observer proceeded to the coordinates and then continued the search along
the last known course of flight. Within five minutes, the observer spotted
the crash.
The second department aircraft, with trained rescue crew on board, found
a suitable site adjacent to the scene and lowered two paramedics via
external hoist. Of the family of seven involved in the crash, four were
still alive. On the first extraction, two small children plus one paramedic
were lifted out. A rescue snowmobile had now arrived on scene.
The third department aircraft, although hoist equipped, did not have
qualified rescue personnel on board. With two other extraction options
available, the pilot wisely decided to stand off. After dropping the first
accident victims at a medical command post base established for the search,
the second aircraft quickly returned for a second extraction. The remaining
adult survivor had already been consigned to the snowmobile and was on his
way to the base location, therefore, the last victim and remaining paramedic
were extracted on the second and last lift.
The non-surviving victims were taken out later by surface. Ultimately,
three lives were saved in a situation that would have otherwise been total
disaster.
Of the myriad missions now being performed by police aviation agencies,
one of the most rewarding is search and rescue. And this fact, accompanied
by the non-tactical nature of the work, can obscure the hazards involved
with SAR. Due to the unsurpassed area surveillance capability of the
helicopter, search is almost an automatic law enforcement assignment. And
this mission, in itself, is no more hazardous than any other low level,
observation/surveillance type duties carrying the same risks associated with
those tasks. Rescue, on the other hand, whether by hoist, Billy Pugh or
other means, conveys additional hazards primarily due to the fact that the
work involves operating with humans, which are virtually unprotected,
external to the aircraft. If anything goes seriously wrong, somebody is
going to get injured or killed.
Risk itself is not the problem. What we have to keep in mind is that
during any kind of rescue operation using an aircraft, you effectively have
two physical tasks being performed simultaneously. One being maneuver of the
aircraft by the pilots, and the other being operation and management of
rescue equipment by the rescue crew. Individually, neither falls into the
category of rocket science. And for this reason, we can sometimes
underestimate the complexity of the operation. However, each task is totally
dependent on the other. Each is impacted by variations of the other.
Problems multiply exponentially and any rescue operation of this nature can
turn into a bag of worms very quickly. Couple this with the potential for
injury, and you can see the problem.
The response to this situation is training and standards. Training is to
insure that the crews know what they are doing; standards are to insure they
are current in their skill level and that missions accepted are performed
consistently and appropriately.
Training for cockpit crews goes without saying; however, training for
rescue equipment operators should be taken just as seriously, although not
necessarily as extensively. Individuals should train on their mission
equipment until they are completely proficient in its use. Once this has
been accomplished, the rescue equipment operators and pilots need to
practice their mission tasks as a team in a benign environment, most
effectively a static aircraft with electrical power on.
Standard communications, normal procedures and emergency procedures
should all be practiced until personnel are totally familiar with required
actions. Finally, crews should practice full up sessions on operating
aircraft, keeping hazard factors low by utilizing appropriate minimum
altitudes (ten feet skid height for hover would allow a reasonable hovering
autorotation and save cycle time on a hoist) at controlled locations and
involving only essential personnel. Necessary ground personnel should also
be included in training. A variety of rescue missions require ground support
during extraction or recovery and these personnel need to be familiar with
their tasks as well. Training time for search and rescue far exceeds actual
mission time.
Since missions tend to occur irregularly and are always spontaneous,
documented standards are necessary. These insure that aircrew personnel are
not assigned to missions without being fully trained and proficient via
authenticated practice or bona-fide missions. Standards also dictate that
each mission, since it will be unique, is preplanned to the maximum extent
possible and pre-briefed so that all players are fully cognizant of what is
expected to take place during the event. Beyond this, standards spell out
the acceptable environmental and operational limits for mission acceptance.
Terrain, ceiling, visibility, wind conditions, temperature, day or night,
the cooperating agencies and resources available, the life or limb
determination, and viable options are all factors influencing rescue mission
launch. Acceptable parameters need to be spelled out. We can’t do
everything, and identifying disqualifying conditions at the outset so
alternate rescue arrangements can be made immediately, makes it better and
safer for everyone.
In emergency situations, cool heads must prevail and that is no more true
anytime than during SAR. It’s easy to let the euphoria of saving a life
during a dramatic rescue steer us into inappropriate decisions. Therefore,
training and standards, strictly adhered to, are a must!
Search and rescue is a rewarding, meaningful and completely appropriate
mission for law enforcement air units. For those units prepared to do it
right, this can mean increased utilization of equipment, justification
of equipment and overall enhanced crew proficiency levels, among a host of
other positives.
Take a close look at the other articles and advertisements in this issue
to check on how you can be doing this mission better and safer .
Ancillary to training and standards (and in its own way no less important
to safety in the search and rescue mission) is the subject of personal
equipment. For missions such as this, all flight and rescue crew
should have applicable protective gear such as boots, nomex flight suits,
gloves, and flight helmets. If over water or if a water landing is an
emergency possibility, flotation gear, emergency air bottle and web vest
should be required.
During cold weather or in remote areas, some form of austere
weather protection and or survival equipment should be available. It
doesn’t take much in these situations to transition from crewmember to
victim.
(Back to top)
The Art Of The Search
Aptitude, Altitude, & Attitude
By Ralph Wilfong
While some jurisdictions have so many search and rescue cases that they can
dedicate aircraft and personnel to SAR as a primary mission, these types of
police units are truly the exception. br>
Search and rescue is a complex discipline. By definition, SAR means “to
locate, access, stabilize and evacuate distressed or injured persons, by
whatever means necessary, to ensure their timely transfer to appropriate
care or to a familiar environment.” The search part of SAR means to locate.
Types of search missions may include missing persons,
missing or overdue aircraft, Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), missing or overdue
boats, and manmade or natural disasters. The rescue part may include
transportation and insertion of rescue teams, transportation of victims and
hoist operations.
SAR missions can take place in urban, suburban, rural or
wilderness areas, and over open water. Each environment requires a certain
set of aircrew skills for both the search component and the rescue
component.
This article will focus on air and ground search operations
rather than rescue. The typical SAR operation will almost always have a
ground component and will have air support, if it is available and
appropriate, and the weather permits. This raises the question about what is
the appropriate role for an aircraft in SAR?
Depending on the aircraft and its equipment, this may
include visual search, IR search, scene lighting, personnel and equipment
transport, K-9 transport, attraction, area mapping, communications relay,
video downlink, MEDEVAC and hoist or short haul operations.
In order to search effectively from the air, it is important
to recognize potential problems. Weather is always an issue. The ability to
see a concealed subject or other target and the ability to pick out the
right subject is another. This is a real problem in urban areas. Locating a
target on the ground requires good information, appropriate tasking, air to
ground coordination and a precise set of aircrew skills.
The efficiency and effectiveness of the search mission may
be dependent on positive answers to a series of questions, “Does the search
manager know how to use aircraft appropriately? Does the aircrew know how to
scan properly and how to fly effective search patterns? Are air to ground
communications adequate and does the aircrew know how to work with ground
teams? Does the aircrew have and can they read topographical maps or other
maps the ground teams may be using?”
A person is very difficult to spot from the air unless they
are actively attempting to be seen, so start with a complete subject
profile. Why is the person missing? Are they actually lost and want to be
found, will they hide to avoid being seen or are they not even aware of
being lost? Examples in these three categories might include a lost hunter,
a lost child, or an Alzheimer’s patient. The missing person may be a crime
victim, so another person or a vehicle may be involved. Alzheimer’s patients
sometimes leave in a vehicle and then abandon the vehicle and proceed on
foot. Know your subject and know the circumstances surrounding the
disappearance. Obtain a complete physical description of the person(s) and
the vehicle. In a populated area, this is even more critical.
Plan the mission carefully. Planning elements are about the
same for helicopters and fixed wing, but the helicopter has obvious
advantages with slower speeds and the ability to hover. The search pattern
and altitude will be determined by type of target(s), type of aircraft,
number and experience of observers, observer position on the aircraft,
number, and experience of observers, observer position on the aircraft,
weather, nature of the terrain and the amount of ground cover.
To illustrate some of these issues, let’s take a typical SAR
mission for a missing person. A six-year-old boy has wandered away from his
home in a suburban neighborhood. The neighborhood quickly merges into
farmlands and woods. It is daylight in good weather, and the helicopter crew
consists of the pilot and the regular co-pilot/observer. The Incident
Commander has given the crew a 7.5-minute topographical map with an outlined
search area. The area is about two miles square, begins at the edge of the
child’s neighborhood and includes rural roads, open fields, houses and other
buildings, and heavy woods. Several ground teams will be searching select
areas and deputies are patrolling the roads and interviewing area residents.
Job one is to accurately locate the search area. Plot the
GPS coordinates of the corners and other features of the search area on the
map and use the map to verify the terrain features when actually at those
locations. Other navigational methods may be used but the GPS is the most
accurate.
Next, determine search pattern, altitude, speed and track
spacing. Parallel track is probably the most effective for missing persons.
Altitude is determined by department policy, safety, terrain, ground cover
and search visibility. Search visibility is the maximum distance that a
target can be detected. 500 feet AGL may be a rule of thumb for missing
persons. Speed should be 60 knots or less with a helicopter, minimum safe
speed for a fixed wing.
Track spacing is determined by several factors, including
search visibility. The U.S. Coast Guard recommends a one-quarter mile track
spacing at 60 knots for missing person search using FLIR with the H60
Jayhawk. Track spacing for visual search is partially dependent on the
number of observers. Remember, the pilot is not an observer. This does not
mean the pilot will not look, but his first job is to fly the aircraft. In
the case we are considering here, there is one observer sitting in the left
front seat beside the pilot. His field of view is from the centerline of the
aircraft left. The track must keep the search area on the observers left,
and the track spacing must ensure the observers effective field of view
overlaps slightly.
Scanning is a learned art. The human eye has a wide field of
view, but a narrow field of focus. When looking for a small object on the
ground, it is important to use proper scanning technique. The scanning
pattern should be left to right, each scan parallel to the next. Forward
movement is a function of the forward motion of the aircraft. Do not scan
with a continuous motion; rather scan with a series of overlapping
“snapshots.” Momentarily focus on an area about the size of your fist
extended out in front of you. Move to the next “snapshot” and focus.
Remember that movement and light are often picked up in the
peripheral vision so be sure to focus on anything that is caught “out of the
corner of the eye.” Binoculars will be helpful in identifying targets but do
not use them continuously since the field of vision is so limited.
Back to our example. Depending on conditions, the observer
may see something that he is not quite able to identify as a person. It may
be a flash of color, a piece of clothing, movement or other indicator. This
is where air to ground coordination becomes important. If the aircrew and
the ground team have radio communications and both have GPS, directing the
team to the location of the sighting may be nothing more than giving GPS
coordinates. Be sure to also carefully describe what was seen, the time, and
a good description of the terrain features around the sighting. Distance and
bearing from a road, building or other feature is helpful.
Vectoring a ground team without GPS aid is not difficult if
a few simple rules are followed. First, give a magnetic bearing from the
ground team to the target and an estimated distance. If you are hovering
over the target, give the reciprocal of the heading shown on your compass.
Second, be patient. You may fly at plus or minus100 mph, the ground team
travels at plus or minus 2 mph. Monitor their progress and give course
corrections as needed.
Aircraft are great attraction devices.
The missing child may hide from ground searchers, but come
out to look at the aircraft flying overhead. The Alzheimer’s patient may
ignore people nearby, but may look for the aircraft. The person looking up
at you may just be curious, but may also be the missing subject.
If the search does not result in a find, the Incident Commander will want to
know you estimated probability of detection (POD) for the search. There are
a variety of POD charts available for air search, but use them only as a
guide for planning, not for determining your actual POD. Actual POD is a
very subjective value judgment.
There is a long list of factors that affect POD and each
must be considered. These factors include:
The aircrew members are the biggest variable. These
variables include training, experience, seat position, scanning technique,
attention span, fatigue, distractions, turbulence and other factors.
The example given is only for one type of search and rescue mission.
Electronic search, FLIR, NVG’s, night operations, disaster SAR and many
other kinds of operations introduce additional challenges. Each variable
requires training, experience and coordination with other mission elements
to ensure that search and rescue operations are safe, effective and
efficient.
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The Tactical & Practical Use Of Hoists
By David Markley
The Cessna 172 was flying too low for conditions when the
civilian pilot headed the aircraft into a narrow canyon and quickly ran out
of altitude, air speed and ideas. The resulting crash left one of the
occupants seriously injured. One of the less injured crash victims hiked six
miles to the closest phone and called for help. The San Bernardino County
Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit was summoned and arrived at the accident
scene quickly. At the time, their helicopters were not hoist-equipped and
relied on short haul to extract the victims out of areas where the
helicopter couldn’t land.
The rescue proceeded according to plan and everything went
well until the helicopter lifted the victim and paramedic for the flight
out. The combination of rotor wash exaggerated by the narrow canyon walls
put the victim and paramedic into an uncontrollable spin causing both to
lose consciousness temporarily.
The events of that day didn’t cause the San Bernardino
County Sheriff to immediately purchase a rescue hoist. However, it did cause
a change in thinking that resulted in delivery of their first rescue hoist
three years later. Recently, they bought a second hoist and now have two of
their three helicopters hoist-equipped.
San Bernardino is just one of a growing number of law
enforcement agencies that are equipping their helicopters with rescue
hoists. This does not mean that rescue hoists are good and short haul is bad
or unsafe. Rescues can be safely conducted with a short haul system, and
under certain circumstances, some users may opt to short haul with the hoist
itself. In other situations, the length of the hoist cable might be a
limiting factor that would force the rescuers to use a long line to
accomplish the rescue.
The short haul incident presented above is only meant to
illustrate some of the factors that need to be considered when equipping a
search and rescue helicopter. If the above described rescue had been
performed with a hoist, a tag line could have been attached, and the violent
rotation the rescuer and victim experienced could have been avoided.
Another advantage of the hoist is the ability to get both
rescuer and victim into the helicopter without landing, thereby saving
valuable time when rescuing the seriously injured. This becomes more of a
factor when the closest available landing spot is more than a few hundred
feet away. The advantage isn’t just limited to rough terrain. A traffic
accident on a grid-locked highway or a boat far from shore are also hoist
only applications that get the victim and rescuer in the helicopter quickly
and on the way to a hospital.
In addition to added safety on certain types of rescues and
the overall savings of time, hoist rescues are technically easier for the
entire crew. A hoist allows the operator to control the up and down motion
of the hook. In some cases, the hoist operator can manipulate the forward,
aft, left and right movements of the helicopter through the autopilot with a
four-way control on the hoist control pendant. In a short haul situation,
the pilot is responsible for all six movements and must rely on commands
from the helicopter crew chief while his head is inside the cockpit
monitoring gauges. Both scenarios require internal and external visual
observations as well as communication between the pilot and crew chief. The
availability of a hoist simply makes accuracy easier.
While search and rescue is without question the most
widespread use for rescue hoists, the war on drugs is another application
being adopted by multiple agencies. Insertions and extractions of law
enforcement personnel into areas of difficult access for purposes of
marijuana or cocaine eradication are becoming more prevalent. The
accessibility of places where plants for drug manufacture are grown is
usually remote and difficult to reach without helicopters. This is
especially true in the jungles of South America where the thickness of the
vegetation makes helicopter landings impossible and the distance to the drug
growing sites from bases of operation makes a hoist an absolute must.
The war on drugs isn’t the only non-search and rescue
application for rescue hoist insertions and extractions. Police canine units
have been using rescue hoists for years to insert and extract both dog and
handler into remote locations. Special Weapons and Tactics Teams are
starting to qualify personnel on rescue hoists as part of their training.
For most SWAT Teams, fast-roping in and short haul out are still the
preferred insert and extraction method. However, the post 9-11 environment
is prompting a growing number of law enforcement agencies to look ahead and
be prepared for a terrorist scenario nobody ever anticipated.
One scenario that comes to mind is the insertion of heavily
armed SWAT officers wearing bulky bio-terrorism or hazardous material suits.
Fast-roping requires a high level of physical fitness in the best of
conditions. The necessity of a heavy protective suit is going to make the
situation more difficult and potentially unsafe. If a hoist insertion were
practical in terms of officer safety, it would certainly be worth
considering.
Life cycle cost, designated missions, and helicopter
limitations are usually the factors that determine if a law enforcement
agency invests in a rescue hoist. In some areas, the military, fire
department or even a contract service may have responsibility for search and
rescue missions. In today’s environment, this means that interagency
coordination is essential, and every agency that might be involved in a
joint response should have their personnel trained on all the equipment that
could potentially be used in an emergency situation.
This is especially important if a hoist is involved. A
living example of this is San Diego County where the fire department has the
only hoist-equipped on call helicopter in the county. The San Diego Police
Department SWAT team is working with the San Diego Fire Department to get
their personnel trained in the event a hoist insertion or extraction becomes
necessary.
Perhaps a more important consideration when deciding whether
or not to invest in a hoist is acceptable risk. If your mission is rescuing
people in distress, the potential risk of an accident is always going to be
present and negligence may not be a contributing factor.
In the litigious society we live in today, it is always
prudent to ask if you are making use of the safest technology available.
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NYPD Maintenance: GUNS N’ WRENCHES
By Jon Goldin
Any law enforcement aviation unit is only as good as its maintenance. If
helicopters aren’t in service, they are of no use while sitting in a hangar.
Aviation units have either their own in-house mechanics or contract out for
their maintenance, likely being worked on by civilian technicians. That
isn’t the case with the New York Police Department. Every mechanic working
on NYPD fleet of helicopters is a sworn, gun-carrying member of the
department. That’s because they perform dual functions within the unit.
From the first days in 1929 when the NYPD took to the air, police
officers have always been turning the wrenches on department aircraft.
However, the mechanics of today have a far more expanded role than their
predecessors. In addition to their duties in keeping the fleet of seven
helicopters (three Jet Rangers, one Long Ranger and three Bell 412s)
maintained, they are all certified as crew-chiefs.
The maintenance side of the house for NYPD’s aviation unit consists of a
lieutenant director of maintenance, two sergeants, four detectives and 12
police officers. Mechanics, like the pilots, work 24 hours, seven days a
week. That alone provides an added measure of safety few units can fall back
on. If a helicopter is returning from a mission at 3 a.m. and a chip light
begins to flicker, it can be checked immediately upon returning to the base.
This can be diagnosed as a quick fix or the aircraft can be removed from
service. By having a mechanic available, a more prudent decision regarding a
maintenance safety issue can be made.
To be considered for a mechanic’s position in the Aviation Unit, a
candidate must hold a minimum of an A & P rating. Many of the applicants
have training from the military or from commercial operators. Once accepted,
they begin one year of hands-on training with senior mechanics. Following
that, they are sent to Bell factory maintenance training school for the Jet
Ranger.
As they progress, they are sent back for factory training in the Long
Ranger and, finally, the 412. In addition to Bell school, they receive
factory training in power plants from both Pratt and Whitney and
Rolls-Royce.
Progressive training is an ongoing process. Each year, mechanics are sent
to different schools to learn advanced repairs such as electrical,
autopilot, overhaul and composite repair. Those that hold their commercial
helicopter rating are also sent to test pilot school.
A mechanic always flies with a pilot when an aircraft comes out of a
hundred-hour inspection and performs a power assurance test. Lt. Robert
Kikel, Director of Maintenance, explains that all inspections are done
in-house, as is most of the repair work. The exceptions to this are
avionics, radios and engines. One of the ways to keep accountability high is
the assignment of a secondary responsibility to each mechanic. This ranges
from supervision of the tool or parts room to maintaining and updating the
unit’s library of manuals.
What really sets the NYPD mechanics apart from their civilian
counterparts is their role as crewchiefs. One mechanic per shift is assigned
the primary duty of crewchief to make sure the aircraft is prepared for
whatever mission it may be called into action for. The crewchief manages all
operations in the rear cabin of the 412s, which can include everything from
operating the hoist to securing a landing zone. All mechanics are certified
EMTs, and a new task was added to their plate after 9/11, that of a gunner.
While it is unlikely that a crewchief will ever have to take a shot from a
helicopter, it was determined that it was better to be prepared if the need
arose.
During the midnight shift, there are at least two mechanics on duty: one
to serve as a crewchief and the other to perform daily inspections on the
duty aircraft for that night. Generally, the Nightsun and FLIR equipment are
installed, removed and operated by the mechanics as needed.
Flight hours have increased in the last year, putting a greater demand on
the mechanics to keep aircraft available for the pilots. In the spring of
2004, significant changes will be occurring for the aviation unit. The
replacement of the patrol helicopters will begin when the first of four
Agusta A119 Koalas arrives. This means Agusta factory school in Philadelphia
for all the mechanics, as well as the pilots.
Aviation Unit Commander Deputy Inspector Joseph Gallucci attributes the
unit’s excellent safety record to a combination of the men who fly the
aircraft and the men who service them. “We certainly wouldn’t be able to
provide the kind of service we do daily if it weren’t for the commitment of
the mechanics who are on top of their game,” Gallucci said.
A pilot puts his life in the hands of the men who maintain the aircraft
he flies. That’s an awesome responsibility in itself. When you add the fact
that a police helicopter is often called upon to assist the officers on the
ground, or literally pull someone out of a fatal situation, that
responsibility increases significantly. If the helicopter is not available
when called on, lives may very well be at stake.
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