PORT HADLOCK — Washington Army National Guard aviation officials provided the Navy Reserve Security Forces at Naval Magazine Indian Island with training to familiarize the personnel with the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
The training was held last Saturday.
“This was extremely beneficial training,” said Lt. j.g. Doug Newman, commanding officer of the Navy Reserve Security Forces at Indian Island.
“If air assets are needed, the involved ground personnel should be equipped with some prior knowledge of what the air crew might need and the safety precautions associated with working around rotary aircraft.”
The training included an air orientation flight aboard the UH-60 for Navy Reserve Security forces.
Preparing for disaster
“In the event there is an extraordinary incident, such as a mass casualty event, it is not outside the realm of possibilities that first responders and security forces may have to work with outside mutual aid air assets in order to save lives,” Newman said.
“When the affected military installation is located within a rural area, this type of training is particularly meaningful.”
The Navy Reserve officer serves full time as the commander of the Criminal Investigations Division at the Port of Seattle Police Department.
“When not deployed, this is exactly the kind of support the Washington National Guard provides at the local, state and federal level,” Newman said.
“We saw this type of coordination during the Oso landslides, where Navy, National Guard and local first responders had to work together to make those whom we protect and serve safer, and that’s what this training was all about.”
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft.
The UH-60A entered service with the U.S. Army in 1979, replacing the Bell UH-1 Iroquois as the Army’s tactical transport helicopter.
From the Washington Army National Guard Charlie Company, 1/140th Assault Company, “The Cougars” of the 1/168th General Support Aviation Battalion were CW2 Randy White (pilot), CW2 Nicolas Gleim (pilot) and Sgt. Will Hust (crew chief).