Photo By Malcolm McClendon | Texas Army National Guardsmen with the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, and...... read more read more
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SAN ANTONIO - Texas Army National Guardsmen capitalized on search and rescue training while on standby for Tropical Storm Nicholas, Sept. 14-15, 2021.
Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, and members of Texas Task Force 1 reported to the San Antonio Army Aviation Support Facility at the request of the State of Texas in anticipation of the storm.
“During State emergencies our main mission is to conduct search and rescue operations,” said Maj. Craig Neeley, SAAASF commander. “The Texas Army National Guard provides the aircraft and crews, and Texas Task Force 1 provides the rescue swimmers. Together, we form Helicopter Search and Rescue Teams called HSART.”
Through the partnership, the TXARNG UH-60 Blackhawk rescue helicopters are able to conduct hoist operations, which enables the teams to rescue survivors in confined areas such as rooftops or stranded vehicles, in areas with nearby power lines, and in swift water.
“We’re able to get in and rescue someone without needing a large area to land the aircraft,” said Neeley. “And that’s what we’re prepared to do if call upon.”
When not on standby, the members of HSART come together once a month to train and remain ready and relevant for state emergencies.
“When we meet each month it’s usually offsite, so everything we brief and execute is specific for that training site,” said Neeley. “There’s little opportunity for anything else, like classroom training or equipment maintenance. On a standby mission like this, Texas Task Force 1 can teach us about swift water rescues, or we can teach them about air crew coordination and how to be a valid crewmember on an aircraft. This is all possible, because of the facilities available at the SAAASF.”
The 207 acre facility, located in east San Antonio provides further opportunities for the teams as they standby.
“This facility is very unique,” said Neeley. “We don’t have to fly anywhere, we have plenty of room here to give our teams additional search and rescue training while we wait for the call.”
There’s an added quality to the training conducted on standby that is different from the regular monthly exercises, crewmembers say.
“When we're on standby like this, there’s a sense to push ourselves a little bit harder in light of the possibility of what we could be facing,” said Sgt. John Minor, UH-60 Blackhawk Crew Chief. “It's not to say that during our routine training we’re not doing the same, but it’s that it is much more of a reality now; and the stress of having to be ready at a moment’s notice is an added factor here.”
The effects of Tropical Storm Nicholas did not create any high water emergencies for the members of the HSART at the SAAASF, but the crews feel their time together was invaluable.
“We’ll take any extra time that we can get the HSART together and work with Texas Task Force 1,” said Neeley. “And while we didn’t, thankfully, get called to rescue anyone this time, we increased our readiness and are more prepared for the next time we are called upon to help Texans in need.”
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2021 17:40 |
| Story ID: | 405454 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 330 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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