Helicopter SAR Ken Larsen TXTF 1 Search HSART

Helicopter SAR Ken Larsen TX-TF 1 Search & HSART Mgr

Introduction • • • Texas Aviation and Water Response Overview Command Control Texas Task Force 1, HSART Program Tx. MF State SAR Mission USCG SAR Mission 2

Hurricane Ike Search & Rescue Resources In Texas 091008/1000 Dallam Hartle y Moore Oldham Potter Deaf Smith Additional SAR Aviation Assets USCG HH-60 s Lake Charles (2) USCG HH-65 s New Orleans (5) Carso n Gray Hall San Antonio TX-TF 1 QRF (1) TX-TF 1 Water Rescue Teams (3) TPWD: 25 Boats/55 Wardens Childress Hardeman Lamb Hale Floyd Motley Cottle King Foard Dallas TPWD Boats 35/55 Wardens Wilbarger Knox Baylor College Station TEEX ESF-9 Coordination Center (6) Wichita Clay Archer Montague. Cooke Grayson Fannin Lamar Delta Yoakum Terry Gaines Lynn Garza Young Kent Stonewal Haskell Throckmorton l Dawson Borden Scurry Fisher Jack Palo Shackelford Jones Stephens Pinto Wise Denton Parker Tarrant Collin Hunt Hopkins Rockwall Rains Red River Titus Bowie Morris Hudspeth Rusk TPWD Boats 35/50 Wardens Franklin El Paso Wheeler Randall. Armstrong. Donley Collingsworth Cochran. Hockley. Lubbock Crosby. Dickens Austin Nation Parks Service 30 Boats/65 Personnel Mount Pleasant TPWD Boats 30/40 Wardens Roberts Hemphill Hutchinson Parmer Castro Swisher Briscoe Bailey ESF-9 Liaison Teams SOC (02) ESF-9 LNO Mabry (1) DDC Houston (1) DDC San Antonio (1) Sherman. Hansford. Ochiltree. Lipscomb Cass Camp Wood Upshur Marion Reliant Center - Houston ESF-9 Overhead Team (1) TX-TF 1 Type I US&R (1) TX-TF 2 Type III US&R (1) TX-TF 1 Water Squads (6) Dallas Kaufman Van Harrison Zandt Gregg Hood Johnson Ellis Smith Callahan Eastland Andrews Martin Howard Mitchell Nolan Taylor Erath Somervell Henderso Panola Rus Navarro n Hill k Glasscock Coleman Comanche Bosque Cherokee Ecto Midland Loving Winkler Anderson Sterling Coke Runnels Brown Shelby r Freestone Hamilton Nacogdoche Mc. Lennan Limestone San Mills Ward Culberson Crane s Augustine Upton Reagan Tom Concho Coryell Houston Leon Sabine Irion Falls Angelina Green Reeves Mc. Culloch San Lampasas Trinit Bell Saba Jasper Robertson Madison y Newton Schleicher Menard Pecos Polk Milam Tyler Walker Mason Llano Burnet Crockett Jeff Brazo San Grimes Davis Jacinto Sutton Burlesons Kimble Hardi Blanco Montgomery Travis Lee Gillespie n Terrell Washington Liberty Orange Bastrop Hays Kerr Presidio Waller Jefferson Edwards Val Kendall Austin Harris Real Brewster Caldwell Fayette Comal Verde Chambers Bandera Colorado Guadalupe Fort Gonzales Galveston Bend Lavaca Kinney Uvalde Medina Bexar Wharton Wilson Brazoria De. Witt Jackson Matagorda Karnes Atascosa Frio Maverick Zavala Victoria Goliad Calhoun Dimmit La Salle Bee Refugio Mc. Mullen Live Aransas Oak San Patricio Jim Webb Duval Wells Nueces Mobile Command Vehicle (1) FEMA Blue IST Team (1) FEMA Type I (3) FEMA Type III (6) NPS Boat Teams (21) Houston TPWD: 27 Boats/55 Wardens Ellington Field NGB Rescue Helos (03) NGB Rescue C-130 s (02) Austin - Bergstrom Tx. MF UH-60 Helicopters (04) Choke canyon TPWD: 10 Boats/30 Wardens Laredo Tx. MF UH-60 Helicopters (04) Edinberg Airport Tx. MF UH-60 Helicopters (04) TX-TF 1 Helicopter Rescue (04) Corpus Christi USCG Rescue Helicopters (3) Zapata Kleber g Jim Brooks Kenedy Hogg Starr Hidalgo GLO Resources Upper Coast: Nederland/La. Port (10 Boats/32 personnel) Mid Coast: Port Lavaca/Corpus (04 Boats/06 personnel) Lower Coast: Corpus/Brownsville (11 Boats/29 personnel Willacy Cameron 3

Air Coordination Group Texas SOC IC RVG County Judge DDC TF-CDR Air Operations Branch Director Aviation Coordination Group Dep. Air Operations Branch Director FEMA LNO FEMA JFO Operations Branch (Camp Mabry) Federal Assets FAA State Aviation Assets Do. D USCG National Guard US Customs and Border Protection CAP TSA DPS Parks & Wildlife Tex. DOT Evergreen Helicopters TX-TF 1 TX-FS Carter Aviatio n

Joint Air-Ground Coordination Team Air Operations Branch (TEEX/TFS/Tx. MF) Do. D, AFRCC, North. Com Tactical Air Supervisor Tx. MF/TFS Air Support Supervisor TFS/TEEX Tx. MF Air Liaison Officer Mission Validator (TFS/TEEX) DPS Air Liaison Officer Communications (TFS/TEEX) TPWD Air Liaison Officer Resource/Mission Tracking (TFS/TEEX) CAP Air Liaison Officer Medical Liaison (TEEX) U. S. Customs & Border Patrol Air Liaison Officer U. S. Coast Guard Air Liaison Officer Do. D Air Liaison Officer (s) Contract Helicopter Air Liaison Officer(s) ESF-9 Liaison (TEEX)

S A R VFR Flight Rules (See & Avoid) Fighter Operations 16, 000 ’ up to but not including 18, 000 Predator Operations 14000’ up to but not including 16, 000’ Fixed Wing (High Speed) Imagery A i r s p a c e 4000’ up to but not including 5000’ Fixed/Rotor Wing Refueling Ops 2000’ up to but not including 4000’ NON-SAR Aircraft (VIP, Media, Slow Speed Imagery) 1000’ -1500’ (500’ separation) Rotor Wing Egress Altitude: 400’ – 500’ Rotor Wing Ingress Altitude: 200’ – 300’ Active SAR/Sling Load Ops SFC up to and including 150’ 6

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HSART Activation Single Resource Contacted directly Contacted by Communicator Follow Chain of Command notification procedures for participating agency • HSART will be a priority in most cases to fill immediately. • • 8

HSART Mobilization • Directly to Airfield – Evolving flood event – Other No notice event – Flood event with prior approval from Task Force Command • Gateway Facility, College Station – All other pre-deployment situations 9

HSART ESF-9 Reporting Structure Ø ESF- 9 Chief Ø Operations Chief ØSAR Branch Director Ø Air Group Supervisor Ø Helicopter Search and Rescue Manager Ø HSART 10

Why use Helicopters • Mobility • Speed • Accessibility to the victims • Ability function independently 12

Considerations for helicopters • Training • Equipment • Mission Tasking • Civilian or Military Aircraft

Rescue Pilot Training Should be trained in critical areas • Recon & surveillance • Cockpit Resource Management (CRM/ADM) • Over water – Flight – Hover • Night flying • Confined area techniques • External loads • Vertical vs. horizontal flight reference • Aircraft Over Water Emergencies

Rescue Crew Chief/Spotter Training • Should be trained critical areas that normal crew may not usually trained in: • • Crew Chief Commands Rescue Decision Making Rescue Emergency Procedures Water Rescue Operations (Crew Chief must be trained for environment flood/swiftwater) Aircraft rigging External loads Over water – Flight – Hover Aircraft Over Water Emergencies Cockpit Resource Management (CRM/ADM) • • • 15

Helicopter Rescuer Training • Should be trained critical areas that normal water rescuers may not usually trained in: • Helicopter Safety • Helicopter Rescue Decision Making • Helicopter Rescue Emergency Procedures • Helicopter Water Rescue Operations (must be trained for environment, deep flood/swiftwater) • Aircraft Over Water Emergencies • Cockpit Resource Management (CRM/ADM)

Over Water Aircraft Emergencies Can occur and it is recommended that all aviation crew members/rescuers receive annual training (dunker, HEEDS) to remain current in water crash survival procedures 17

Helicopter Dunker 18

Equipment • Helicopter – Aircraft • Rescue Options – Short-haul – Hoist • Crew • Rescuer • Rescue Devices 19

Helicopter Crew Equipment • • Helmet Nomex Inflatable Flotation HEEDS 20

Helicopter Rescue PPE • Typical swiftwater ppe – Wet or Drysuit – Helmet – Mask, fins, snorkel – Harness, (swim able) 21

Victim Lifting Devices • Victims should only be counted on to participate in their rescue under extreme circumstances • Victim rescue, short-haul or hoist, should be attended by a trained and qualified rescuer whenever possible 22

Victim Devices • Billy Pugh Net – Short haul or hoist able – Comes in multiple sizes – Does not secure the victims – Difficult to get into under some circumstances 23

Victim Devices • LSC Rescue Basket – Short haul or hoist able – Mainly used by the Coast Guard with • Large aircraft • Open ocean rescues 24

Victim Devices • LSC Water litter – Short haul or hoist able – Mainly used for patients with injuries in still water 25

Victim Devices • Rescue Ring – Short haul or hoist able – Interior strap “cinches” when lifted – Rigid design – Limited cinching – Must go over victims head 26

Victim Devices • Cinch Collar – Short haul or hoist able – Interior strap “cinches” when lifted – Soft design – Almost unlimited cinching – Must go over victims head 27

Victim Devices • LSC quick stoph – Short haul or hoist able – Adjustable cinch with crouch strap cinch – Able to be placed around victim 28

Short Haul - Advantages • Light weight • Can be used by smaller helicopters • Can put multiple victims on the same line • Inexpensive • Equipment is cheap and easy to find • Rigging is aircraft specific • Static, non-mechanical system • Cargo hook or belly band • Should be redundant, releasable system 29

Short Haul - Disadvantages • Usually you have to land to put rescuer on the rope – Rescue delay • Cannot bring victims into aircraft – Limits range of rescue operations • All three directions of flight are solely controlled by the pilot, who probably cannot see the load 30

Hoist - Advantages • Able to go into rescue operation immediately upon arrival • Able to bring victims into aircraft • Can frequently be utilized without rigging or reconfiguration 31

Hoist - Disadvantages • Weight, typically requires larger air frames • Cost, initial and ongoing • Usually limited to two person lift • Mechanical system that may break

Low-to-High Risk Decision Making Historical in the rescue community Reach Throw Row Go Tow Helo

Low-to-High Risk Decision Making • • Experience Training Specialty trained rescue teams Overall Risk

Helicopter utilization events • Search • Movement of ground based rescue teams • Movement of supplies/equipment • Rescue operations (Short-Haul/Hoist)

Victim location is usually predictable • Where the people and water cross paths • Low water crossings • Flood control channels • Roof of their vehicle • Roof of their house • In the trees 36

Helicopter SAR Operations IS ALL ABOUT MANAGING RISK 37

Tx. MF and TX-TF 1 38

Texas Military Forces • Air Support – UH 60 Black Hawk, SAR and RNA – CH 47 Chinook, Equipment and PAX transport – EMAC resources 39