Virginia Helicopter Advanced Rescue Team trains at search and rescue exercise

Virginia National Guard aviation crews and Chesterfield County first responders conduct aviation rescue hoist training during the Max Creek Search and Rescue Exercise Aug. 13, 2016, in Pulaski County, Virginia. Soldiers assigned to the Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment and Detachment 2, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment along with members of Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Service Scuba Rescue Team work together as the Virginia Helicopter Advanced Rescue Team to provide trained and ready personnel capable of conducting synchronized aerial reconnaissance and rescue evacuation in situations where there is potential loss of life, limb or eyesight or significant property damage. The event was the latest in a series of exercises that are part of an ongoing training partnership between Virginia National Guard and Chesterfield County Fire & EMS.

Soldiers assigned to the Detachment 1, Company A acted as a mission command element aboard a UH-72 Lakota helicopter and provided aerial reconnaissance and situational awareness, while Soldiers assigned to the Detachment 2, Company G used a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to insert Chesterfield Fire & EMS personnel to assist the simulated victims and hoist them to safety.

The purpose of Pulaski County 2016 Max Creek Full Scale Search and Rescue Exercise was to validate Pulaski County's response procedures and integrate state and local speciality teams in a unified command environment. In the exercise scenario, flash flooding in the region created situations that required the employment of ground, water and aerial search and rescue elements. More than two hundred responders and observer/controllers from across the commonwealth took part in the exercise facilitated by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. It also provided an opportunity to demonstrate the ability of the Central Virginia All-Hazards Incident Management Team to mobilize and support local incident command operations in response to a major weather incident.