Guard, VSP train on aerial water rescues with first responders

Virginia National Guard and Virginia State Police aviation crews conduct simulated water rescues with first responders July 22, 1016, in Powhatan State Park in Powhatan County, Virginia. The event was the latest in a series of exercises developed by the Virginia National Guard and the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS as part of an ongoing training partnership between the two organizations.

With personnel from Goochland County Fire-Rescue and Powhatan County Fire and Rescue Department in the water, Guard and VSP crews hoisted simulated victims, played by Virginia National Guard Soldiers.

Soldiers assigned to the Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment acted as a mission command element aboard a UH-72 Lakota helicopter, while Soldiers assigned to the Chesterfield-based Detachment 2, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment used a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to insert Chesterfield Fire and EMS personnel to assist the simulated victims and hoist them to safety.