Helicopter Search and Rescue Team created in partnership with APD, AFD
AUSTIN, Texas - Central Texas first responders moved forward with their new partnership to form the Helicopter Search and Rescue Team.
Why does Austin need a Helicopter Search and Rescue Team?
The backstory:
The Austin Police Department and the Austin Fire Department joined forces in the spring of 2024 to make the launch of the HSRT possible. They have been preparing and continuously training together for several months.
With the combined resources of AFD's highly-trained rescue swimmers who specialize in swift-water rescue and APD's pilot team and crew chiefs, they can bolster their response in various emergency situations.
They are excited to finally get this program off the ground and expand their life-saving abilities.
What they're saying:
"It's a partnership that we're providing yet another rescue piece in this region to help our citizens," said Capt. Matt McElearney, Austin Fire Department in Special Operations.
"Whether it's mass flooding or other water events that come up, we're able to quickly deploy with our safety partners and provide that service to the community," said Lt. JJ Schmidt, Austin Police Department Air Support Unit.
"A huge need, as we see with the May Day floods or Halloween floods," said Capt. McElearney. "Our resources become quickly saturated, pun intended, with a lot of calls, a lot of needs."
"We are able to deploy at this point in time with some of the crew members we have on board," Lt. Schmidt. "We're able to provide that should the need arise today, tomorrow, or next week. We're ready to go."
What's next:
They are using both of their strengths to better serve the community.
It is just one more resource that local first responders can utilize and cut down on response times.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt