The USCG Aviation Training Centre Mobile, is hosted by Coast Guard Sector Columbia River. Aviators take part in Coast Guard’s Advanced Helicopter School in order to acknowledge the important role helicopters have in rescue and search operations. Aviators participating explain the importance of the school during breaks in training along the coasts of northern Oregon and southern Washington.
Namely, aviators are getting taught how to get survivors from the water to the helicopter into difficult weather conditions.
Samuel Lerand, Petty Officer 3rd Class, Aviation Survival Technician, noted in the video that the training started with the aviators learning their body techniques when trying to save a survivor and experienced dry-docking.
He continued stating that the training offers the opportunity for someone to understand whether they are able to continue the helicopter operations as a profession. The participants face many phases of training. If a participant passes the first phases, then they have the opportunity to train in more real-life environments and gain experience.
Moreover, according to Cpt Jeremy Smith during, Commander Coast Guard, during fall and spring the extreme weather conditions are ideal for hands-on training because of the Pacific North storms that come through.
The training procedures are of a big importance to pilots since they experience real-life rescue scenarios, such as surf rescue training, cliff rescue training, cave rescue training, etc.
Finally, communication is the biggest factor of having positive results during rescue operations.
