Weston Lake isn't just for recreation -- it's for rescue.
Teams from the S.C. Army National Guard, Fort Jackson Fire Department and S.C. Emergency Task Force 1/Urban Search and Rescue worked together Friday to complete more than 90 rescue hoists, extracting "victim" role players from the waters of Weston Lake at the Fort Jackson Recreation Area.
"This is something that just has to be done and trained on because, in the event of some kind of disaster in South Carolina, we would all come together to do this work as a team," said Eric Harper, Fort Jackson fire chief.
The teams make up what is called SC-Hart -- South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team -- created in 2009 and directed by the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; the Office of the State Fire Marshal; the S.C. Emergency Management Division; and the Army National Guard Aviation Unit at McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
The training Friday began when two boats from the Fort Jackson Fire Department and S.C. ETF1/Search and Rescue each took three role players to different parts of the lake.
The victims hopped over the sides of the boats and into the water to await rescue, the boats then retreating to a safe distance.
Then, after coordinating radio communications, two of the three National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters took turns lifting off from Landing Zone 12, next to the lake, and sortieing out to rescue their victims using hoists and rescue equipment.
"We've got pilots doing quarterly training," said CW4 Chris McKenna with the medevac unit of the Army National Guard's 1-171st General Support Aviation Battalion.
"We've got new pilots out there as well."
McKenna said teamwork within the crews was an important part of training to prepare everyone for possible real-world rescues.
Rescue swimmers from S.C. State Search and Rescue rode along in the Blackhawks to practice being lowered into the lake to perform triage and subsequently hoist victims into the safety of the helicopters.
Dan McManus of the State Fire Marshal's office - and in charge of the emergency response program -- said all of the teams were practicing and retesting complex skills, as well as trying new techniques on the lake.
"We're the extreme-extraction service forum," McManus said. Working together, "we can save 80 volunteer firefighters a 9 and one-half-hour hike through treacherous terrain with one UH-60 lift."
The team can deploy to combat a real-world emergency within 25 to 40 minutes, and "that's good stuff," McManus exclaimed.
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