Air-One Emergency Response Coalition
The AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition (formerly named the Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition) supports several agencies who together provide air support to law enforcement, emergency management and fire/EMS agencies. Known by their familiar "AIR-ONE" call sign, these helicopters are frequently called upon by agencies who would otherwise not have air support capabilities available. AIR-ONE is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3, charitable organization, managed and staffed by volunteers who are experienced professionals from the aviation, law enforcement, emergency management and fire-rescue sectors. As the founding and coordinating agency, the Winthrop Harbor (IL) Police Department provides 24-hour dispatch services for all of the mutual-aid AIR-ONE helicopters.
History
The Coalition began in 2003 with a privately owned Eurocopter EC135 helicopter. This aircraft was made available at no cost to the Winthrop Harbor (IL) Police Department (WHPD) for law enforcement operations. With the blessing of the Winthrop Harbor Mayor and Village Board of Trustees, a program was created to reach out and offer this service to other agencies, without cost to requesting agencies or Winthrop Harbor taxpayers.
Experienced pilots and tactical flight officers from various Police and SHERIFF Departments came together and trained tirelessly, all as volunteers, to provide this much needed service. These volunteers responded to countless call-outs for air support, including searching for lost persons, assisting with felonies in ProgresS, and life-saving rescues over Lake Michigan and in New Orleans.
The Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition, Inc. (LEAC) was incorporated in 2005 as a not-for-profit, 501(c)3, charitable organization, for the purpose of assisting in the operation of the service.
Plans were soon underway to obtain surplus helicopters through a U.S. Department Of Defense program, and to fulfill the vision of making this service available at no-cost to as many law enforcement and fire/rescue agencies as possible. Through the Board of Directors, and the Illinois Law Enforcement Support Office, three Bell OH-58 (Kiowa) and one Bell UH-1V (Huey) surplus Army helicopters have been obtained by Illinois law enforcement agencies. One Bell HH-1N (twin-engine Huey) has been obtained by a Wisconsin law enforcement agency.
With the assistance of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System and many other resources, we are refurbishing and equipping these helicopters to realize the vision.
In September 2011, the organization name changed to AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition, Inc.
Board of Directors
AIR-ONE is governed by a Board of Directors. Directors include heads of public service agencies, business leaders and aviation professionals. There are committees for finance, operations, safety, personnel and community relations.
Structure
The AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition maintains a structure of positions and rank combining aviation and law enforcement components. The ranks of Ground Support Officer (GSO) thought Pilot In Command (PIC) are based on proficiency and promotional testing; Senior officers are appointed by the Board of Directors.
- Director of Operations: Overseer of the entire organization. Reports directly to the Board of Directors.
- Unit Commander: Overseer of day to day operations and activities. Reports directly to the D/O.
- Director of Safety: Overseer of operational safety training and the organization's Safety Program.
- Director of Maintenance: Overseer of all Airframe and Power plant mechanics. Also responsible for parts inventory, regular and unscheduled maintenance, and overall airworthiness of the aircraft.
- Director of Community Relations: Overseer of Community Relations including public events, corporate events, and media communications.
- Chief Pilot: Overseer of all Pilots, Ground Support Officers and Tactical Flight Officers.
- Pilot in Command (PIC): Pilot who has completed training and qualification for a particular aircraft. On a mission, one pilot is designated PIC, and is primarily responsible for the safety of the aircraft and crew, and responsible for the actual “flying” of the aircraft. To be considered for application as an AIR-ONE PIC, candidates are required to have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours in rotorcraft, a minimum of 250 flight hours in turbine powered rotorcraft, a commercial rotorcraft pilot rating, an instrument rotorcraft pilot rating, and an FAA Class II medical certificate.
- Senior Tactical Flight Officer (S/TFO): Overseer of all Tactical Flight Officers regardless of training status. The S/TFO also suggests and implements training programs of other TFO’s, and when assigned to a mission crew acts as TFO.
- Tactical Flight Officer (TFO): Tactical Flight Officers act as “crew chief” on the helicopter, and are responsible for the aircraft, its safety, and the safety of those on board. While on the ground the TFO maintain a safe landing zone, keeps bystanders away from aircraft, and communicate between ground crews and the PIC. While airborne, the TFO is responsible for safety of the helicopter in regards to observing for hazards including other aircraft, and depending on the position within the aircraft may be responsible for scanning instruments, radio communications, geographic location, and observation. To reach TFO status, the member must have fully completed TFO training to the satisfaction of the S/TFO, Chief Pilot, Director of Safety, and Unit Commander on a particular aircraft and in all positions within that aircraft. The TFO operates the FLIR, NightSun and public service radios during mission operations. TFO's who are in training advance through three levels, TFO3, TFO2 and finally TFO1.
- Ground Support Officer (GSO) Ground Support Officers are non flight positions. GSO's are involved in all ground aspects of the operation such as hangar duties, refueling, landing zone support, etc.
- Community Relations Volunteer (CRV) Community Relations Volunteer's are members of the public who may not qualify for an operational position, but still wish to assist the Coalition. CRV's are assigned various duties to help publicize the Coalition such as helping at events, setting up and manning display booths, etc.
Jurisdiction
The AIR-ONE organization assists with the operation of aircraft registered to the Winthrop Harbor (IL) Police Department, the Byron (IL) Police Department, the Stephenson County (IL) Sheriff's Office, and the Kenosha County (WI) Sheriff's Office. Through mutual aid requests from first-responder agencies, AIR-ONE helicopters operate in numerous jurisdictions.
Base of operations
The AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition is coordinated by the Winthrop Harbor Police Department, and all calls for service are routed through the WHPD 24/7 Dispatch Center.
The AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition currently has aircraft positions in two geographical areas. N79PD is located at the Police Aviation Hangar at Waukegan, UGN, Illinois airport. N79PD provides primary support for the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin areas.
N92PD is located at Rockford, Illinois Airport (KRFD), and is primarily responsible for the Western Illinois area.
A third helicopter, N62PD, is currently in the process of being renovated and updated for use and will eventually be staged in the Stephenson County, Illinois area
The advantage to operating a “coalition” and having multiple aircraft allows for an aircraft grounded for maintenance or other reasons to be replaced or covered with an aircraft from the other base of operations. In this manner, LEAC has a greater opportunity to respond to calls from service in any geographic area.
Mission types
The AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition flies a variety of missions, mostly responding to calls for assistance or air support from a local agency or department. Before being advised of the type of mission, the Unit Commander and/or Chief Pilot review current weather, manpower and resource availability. If it is determined that the aircraft can fly safely, the type of mission is then relayed and applied to a pre defined formula to determine whether the mission meets the criteria for a response, and the final decision is made whether to accept the mission or not. The decision process follows this manner to avoid “emotional” decisions to fly vs. the safety of the aircraft and crew which takes priority. Missions that are typically flown by LEAC include but are not limited to:
- Missing persons including children, elderly, people with disabilities and/or medical illnesses
- Disaster assistance and relief
- Searches of rural and/or residential areas
- Missing or overdue watercraft (Lake Michigan)
- SWAT support and/or deployment
- Vehicular and/or foot pursuits
- Class-X Felonies in progress
In accordance with FAA regulations for Public Use Aircraft, for missions flown in any of the three OH-58C helicopters or two UH-1 helicopters, all crew members and/or passengers transported are ciritcal to the mission at hand.
Completed missions
To date, the AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition has responded to numerous calls for assistance. Some mission highlights include:
- [...] Subject Search - Winthrop Harbor, Illinois (N92PD)
- A search of a residential area was conducted to locate a subject with a gun that was reported as [...].
- Missing Persons Search – Kenosha, Wisconsin (N255MK)
- A 16 –year old female with medical and psychological problems was reported missing and was located by LEAC within 10 mins of notification.
- Missing Boat Search – Lake Michigan, Kenosha, Wisconsin (N255MK)
- An extensive search of Lake Michigan 3–5 miles off shore resulted in an overdue boat being found by LEAC. The position of the boat was relayed to the United States Coast Guard whom then completed a water rescue.
- Missing Person Search – Lake Michigan, Waukegan, Illinois (N255MK)
- Search patterns were completed just off shore from the Waukegan Beach. An underwater object was identified and divers were directed to the general location. The victim of a drowning was located shortly thereafter.
- Disaster Relief – Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Mississippi (N255MK)
- Being one of the first law enforcement helicopters on location in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina had struck, and the only one with Night Vision capabilities, LEAC was instrumental in the evacuation of hospital patients from a makeshift landing pad, and completed more than 70 residential rooftop rescues.
- Support – Hurricane Rita, Houston, Texas (N255MK)
- In light of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, LEAC was requested to Houston in support of Hurricane Rita. After the hurricane passed, LEAC missions involved checking damage on dams, hospitals and other critical locations.
Aircraft and Equipment
AIR-ONE has three Bell OH-58C and two Bell UH-1V and HH-1N helicopters, from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) through the Law Enforcement Support Office surplus program.
N79PD is a Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter registered to the Winthrop Harbor Police Department (Illinois), and has been repainted and retrofitted with high skids and a variety of other mission equipment. N79PD's home airport is Kenosha Airport.
N92PD is a Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter registered to the Byron Police Department (Illinois), and has been repainted and retrofitted with mission equipment. N92PD's home base is Rockford Airport.
N62PD is a Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter registered to the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office (Illinois). It was received from the DoD in January, 2007. Refurbishment and equipment additions are currently underway. N62PD will eventually be outfitted with the latest communications equipment that will allow it to operate as an airborne command and control unit during the course of a natural disaster or multiple agency incident. This equipment will provide the capability of linking various radio systems into one seamless flow of communication.
N67PD is a Bell UH-1V Huey helicopter registered to the Winthrop Harbor Police Department (Illinois). Refurbishment has included paint and avionics upgrades. The addition of specialized rescue, communications and mapping equipment will occur as funding becomes available.
N88SD is a Bell HH-1N twin-engine Huey helicopter registered to the Kenosha County Sheriffs Office (Wisconsin). This twin-turbine powered, heavy lift helicopter was received from the DoD in March 2011. The addition of specialized rescue, communications and mapping equipment, in addition to refurbishment of avionics, paint and airframe components, will occur as funding becomes available.
There are currently no privately owned aircraft supporting AIR-ONE's mission.
- All aircraft operated for AIR-ONE missions, regardless of registration, are crewed by members of AIR-ONE, who are trained first responders from a variety of public service agencies.
The AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition uses a variety of mission equipment including police capable radios, LoJack receivers, night visions goggles (AN-VIS), forward looking infra-red (FLIR) and Night Sun search lights.
Retired aircraft
N255MK(R) was a privately owned Bell 430 helicopter. N255MK was equipped with a variety of law enforcement equipment and markings that supported its role with the AIR-ONE fleet and flew many successful missions, with its last being support of an armed standoff in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
N255MK(R) was a privately owned Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter. N255MK was equipped with a variety of law enforcement equipment and markings to support its role with the AIR-ONE fleet and was instrumental in not only the inception of AIR-ONE, but flew many successful missions as listed above.
Uniforms
Crew members uniforms of the AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition consist of a black or sage green nomex (fire retardant) flight suit, nomex flight gloves, black boots, and a Gentex model SPH-4B or HGU-56 helicopter flight helmet. The flight suit is adorned with an AIR-ONE patch, Unit patch, USA Flag patch and a patch from the agency the member is employed by. Rear TFO positions are also required (dependent on mission type) to wear flight harnesses that attach to the aircraft floor. Crew members carry a sidearm in accordance with their own departments policies.
Crew and/or passengers are prohibited from carrying mace, pepper spray and/or Tazers onto any AIR-ONE aircraft.
Training
AIR-ONE crew members meet and train a minimum of once a week to learn and review tactics, maintain proficiency on the aircraft and to review operating policies and procedures.
Weekly training sessions have consisted of aircraft familiarization, learning new flight tactics, and implementing new equipment and/or technologies. AIR-ONE has also conducted in-service training with other agencies such as the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Flight for Life, and various local police departments and SWAT teams.
Prior to being assigned to Pilot in Command (PIC), AIR-ONE Pilots are required to have a minimum number of flight hours in a given aircraft, must maintain a FAA Class II medical and attend the manufacturer’s ground school. From that point, AIR-ONE Pilots are required to pass an internal examination and proficiency test, and must then attend a minimum number of weekly training sessions to maintain flight status.
AIR-ONE Tactical Flight Officers (TFO’s) are bought on as trainees, and then after successfully completion of the basic training program, an internal examination and proficiency test, that are promoted to the next level. This process is completed until the member reaches full TFO status, at which point they must attend a minimum number of weekly training sessions to maintain flight status.LLB
See also
Winthrop Harbor Police Department
References
Official AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition Webpage
AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition Organizational Structure (PDF)