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Nashville, TN<\/strong> – The Tennessee Highway Patrol\u2019s Aviation Unit recently trained for emergency rescue missions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with rangers from the National Park Service and the Tennessee State Parks, and first responders from across east Tennessee.<\/p>\nThe training exercises, which took place in the Cades Cove area of the park, focused on air rescue and evacuation practices. The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is the only state agency that operates helicopters in its aviation section.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Aviation in training.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cTraining is an important part of what we do. The THP\u2019s Aviation Unit is available statewide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to assist local law enforcement and first responders with all types of rescue missions,\u201d Captain Bob Eckerman said. Eckerman oversees THP\u2019s Special Operations Section. \u201cThis specific training in the Smoky Mountains concentrated on safely and securely removing victims who may be trapped or stranded from dangerous conditions in mountainous terrain,\u201d Eckerman added.<\/p>\n
Special Operations troopers, using the agency\u2019s Bell Huey UH1 helicopter, carried out exercises that involved many different scenarios that could potentially occur in the mountains. During one exercise, troopers secured a stranded and injured victim.<\/p>\n
<\/a>THP Bell Huey UH1 helicopter<\/p><\/div>\n
Another situation included a victim who had been incapacitated due to extreme weather conditions. During both exercises, troopers were lowered by hoist to the injured individuals on the ground and performed demonstrations on how to safely secure and remove them from the situations.<\/p>\n
This type of training is standard for the Aviation Unit, which has been conducting rescue missions for years. In late 2012, the National Park Service requested the THP\u2019s assistance to rescue a missing hiker in the Smoky Mountains who had been stranded for several days in waist-deep snow. The successful rescue took approximately 45 minutes and included a 17-mile flight to the top of the mountain where the hiker was located.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Aviation Smoky Mountain Training<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cOur Huey is based in Nashville, but can be deployed anywhere in the state within two hours,\u201d Lt. Brad Lund, a THP pilot, said. \u201cThis aircraft is not only used for air rescues, we utilize the Huey for tactical response duties, as well. It can carry a much larger load than the rest of our fleet, so it is ideal for both air rescue services and tactical operations,\u201d Lund said. Additionally, this helicopter has been utilized in relief efforts during natural disasters, delivering food, water and equipment to otherwise unreachable areas.<\/p>\n
The Bell Huey is the only aircraft on the THP\u2019s fleet with the cargo capacity to be equipped with a motorized hoist used for lowering troopers and retrieving victims.<\/p>\n
[320left]In addition to the Bell Huey, the THP operates four Bell Jet Ranger 206 helicopters. There is at least one helicopter and pilot based in each of the state\u2019s grand divisions, including Jackson, Nashville, and Fall Branch. Each helicopter in the fleet is equipped with LoJack Police Tracking Computers that track signals emitted from stolen vehicles.<\/p>\n
The Jet Ranger helicopters also operate forward looking infrared cameras (FLIR). This equipment utilizes heat signatures on the ground to locate individuals. The Aviation Unit is routinely called upon to assist local law enforcement in finding suspects attempting to avoid apprehension and missing persons. In these situations, the pilots provide air support as they maintain radio communication with dispatchers and troopers on the ground during vehicle and foot pursuits.<\/p>\n