During the course of our daily lives we usually take for granted our health, safety and general well being. For the most part we feel secure in obeying the rules, wearing our seatbelts and observing precautions that we have been taught will keep us out of harms way. We enjoy the beautiful Florida weather, make sure we keep freshly charged 9-volt batteries in our smoke detectors and take our dogs for walks.

Unfortunately, there are times when Mother Nature (or fate) decides not to follow the rules as we understand them. What happens when a natural or man-made chain of events culminates in a disaster which jeopardizes the safety of us, our friends and our families? It is during these events that we rely on the training and expertise of the emergency response professionals. We place our lives in their hands and trust them to do their best in helping us during our greatest times of need.

On Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at Ronnie Van Zant Park, a group of emergency response professionals came together for training and familiarization. They gathered to coordinate their activities during emergencies and train each other on procedures and operations. Several units from Clay County's Fire Rescue stations, the Army National Guard and the Baptist Health Life Flight, all met on the soccer field at Ronnie Van Zant Park for a day of training and familiarization.

First on the scene was the Heavy Rescue engine from Station 15, driven by Chris Dilley. Chris is also the driving force behind these exercises, along with Jason Hughes who is both a flight medic with the Florida Army National Guard and a volunteer firefighter with Clay County's Fire Rescue. Together these two coordinated this day's activities, which was the 4th such event this year. Soon after Chris' arrival, the Chinook CH-47 arrived from the 1st-111th General Support Aviation Battalion based out of Cecil Field.

This impressive monster is just under 99 feet in length, powered by two powerful turbo shaft engines capable of 3,750 horse power and able to carry 33 soldiers or 24 patients at cruising speeds of 159 mph at 22,000 feet. Each of its massive, twin rotors are 60 feet across and capable of lifting 27,620 pounds. Massive trees bowed down as it touched down and its crew disembarked. As they prepped the aircraft for training cycles, a second helicopter appeared from the same unit. This time it was the UH-60 Blackhawk Air Ambulance with its four-man crew.

The Blackhawk is best known for its medevac capabilities and features a patient extraction basket. The Blackhawk is often used for rescue in rugged terrain or adverse conditions, employing state of the art electronics and a specially trained flight crew. It is fast, highly maneuverable and versatile. This combination of characteristics makes the Blackhawk UH-60 an invaluable asset in any emergency environment.

Finally, the Baptist Health Life Flight BK117 arrived with its crew of three highly skilled professionals, including the pilot, a paramedic and a registered nurse. Its primary mission is the rapid air transport of critically ill and injured patients under the safest possible conditions. Carrying three crew members and two patients, it features state-of-the-art emergency medical equipment including a ventilator, defibrillator/pacemaker, three-channel IV pump, over 40 different medications, advanced airway management equipment, two multi-function monitors and end-tidal carbon dioxide (CO2) detectors.

The Clay County Fire Rescue did an amazing job at coordinating the rotation of over 100 fire and rescue personnel through a series of training briefs with the three airborne response units. Crews were taught not only the hazards of the aircraft and extraction techniques, but emergency "safing" of the aircraft in the event one of them should crash. Each aircraft has emergency electrical and fuel shut-off procedures.

Also to be commended on this series of training exercises is Clay County's Park and Recreation Department who authorized the use of county land. Not only were emergency response teams able to receive invaluable training, but many parents with children were allowed to approach, ask questions and admire both the aircraft and the teams of personnel.

After four and a half hours of training had elapsed and the day's activities wound down, the fields were cleared, made safe for take off, and the mighty airships departed. Most everyone who had shared in the day and this event came away with something. The aircrews, medical personnel and firefighters came away with emergency training only obtainable through coordinated exercises like these, and the onlookers came away with a renewed sense of security. It is comforting to know that when disaster strikes and by chance, we find ourselves in an emergency situation, there are highly-trained professionals standing by to help us.

To view all the pictures for this event,
click HERE
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