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.
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