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<p>DURYEA &#8212; Helicopters buzzed the sky and boats took to the Susquehanna River as local and state agencies trained for water rescues on the Susquehanna River.</p><p>The training session, conducted by members of Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (PA-HART) for agencies late last week, helped to prepare responders for emergency situations in the water.</p><p>&#8220;We train for the worst and hope for the best,&#8221; said Kim Houser, a member of PA-HART. Houser is also a deputy fire chief with the Greensburg Fire Department as well as an attorney.</p><p>Two UH-60 helicopters touched down in a field near the Germania Hose Company&#8217;s fire station in Duryea. After members were introduced to the aircraft, participants then traveled by boat and air to an island in the Susquehanna River.</p><p>PA-HART is comprised of the Fish and Boat Commission, PEMA and the U.S. Army National Guard. Along with Germania&#8217;s Scuba Team, other local agencies that participated included members of the Tunkhannock dive team and Plains Rescue 211.</p><p>Len Basara, captain of Germania&#8217;s SCUBA team, noted that while the water can be a recreational wonder, it can also lead to emergencies that require a swift, skilled response.</p><p>&#8220;Time is of essence,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Training for the worst&#8217;</strong></p><p>Crews were given the scenario that a bridge collapsed, and resulted in multiple people in the water.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re exercising both boat operations, water rescue, air operations and rescue,&#8221; Houser said.</p><p>PA-HART also had staffing at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency&#8217;s (PEMA) Emergency Support Function desk during the training.</p><p>Not long after the crews gathered on the island, some of them assumed the roles as civilians and got into the water, albeit geared up with wet suits and other equipment. One of the helicopters soared overhead overseeing the operation, while the other conducted rescue maneuvers.</p><p>That involved lowering a rescuer on cable into the water to perform the rescue, and then either place them on the shore or hoist them high up into the helicopter.</p><p>Rickey Price, 30, was a rescuer during the operations.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s actually a great experience,&#8221; Price said. Price, like Houser, is also a member of PA-HART. &#8220;You get to survey they area, complete 360 (degrees), going down.&#8221;</p><p>Houser, however, added that rescues from helicopters involved a lot of moving parts.</p><p>He explained that rescuers lowered from the helicopter have to deal with 70 mph winds from the helicopter&#8217;s rotor, along with the water sprayed up from those gusts. The cable operator also has to time the descent just right to make sure the rescuer is lowered safely.</p><p>While that is all happening, the helicopter pilot has to keep the aircraft steady as the rescue takes place.</p><p>&#8220;It takes practice,&#8221; Houser said.</p><p>That practice evolved during the couple of hours that crews were training. Some of the scenarios involved hoisting the rescuers all the way into the helicopter, while others involved grabbing the victim from the water and moving them to shore. Other rescues involved rescuing a victim from a boat in the river</p><p>&#8220;The more we practice it, the sharper our skills are,&#8221; Price said. &#8220;The more we do it, the more lives we save.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;Hoping for the best&#8217;</strong></p><p>As crews made their way back to the Germania headquarters, Basara was pleased with the day&#8217;s training.</p><p>&#8220;We got the best of the time we were allotted,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We got a lot of scenarios in, everybody got to play some kind of role.&#8221;</p><p>Houser explained that training sessions like the one on Thursday happen about four times year. Basara hoped that in the future, more enhanced training would be held to further prepare responders.</p><p>Houser said that preparation, especially for a region with a major waterway, is critical.</p><p>&#8220;Once they get skilled, and you have inter-agency capabilities, it&#8217;s amazing what your communities can do,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Crews prepare for another training scenario as a UH-60 helicopter flies overhead. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Crews prepare for another training scenario as a UH-60 helicopter flies overhead. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Crew members watch as a UH-60 helicopter flies nearby during training exercises. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Crew members watch as a UH-60 helicopter flies nearby during training exercises. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">PA-HART member Kim Houser watches training exercises from the shore of an island of the Susquehanna River. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>PA-HART member Kim Houser watches training exercises from the shore of an island of the Susquehanna River. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A UH-60 helicopter lands and an emergency responder makes his way over. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Germania-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>A UH-60 helicopter lands and an emergency responder makes his way over. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> 8Nv3o1gGFoA</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nv3o1gGFoA</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"> The Germania SCUBA Team, along with other local agencies, trained with the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team last week.</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Travis Kellar</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

Aquatic rescue training prepares first responders for emergencies