King County Sheriff’s Aviation Support Unit makes training a priority. Here the unit’s Bell UH-1H Huey performs a hoisting evolution in the mountains near Seattle.
As one of just two rotary-wing law enforcement aviation units in Washington state, the King County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit (ASU) certainly bears a lot of responsibility. Not only does it provide aviation support for the Sheriff and other agencies within the 2,000 square miles of King County, it lends its services to those needing patrol or search-and-rescue assistance as far as the Oregon border to the south, and to the Canadian border to the north.
Established in 1991 when the county purchased a Bell 206L-3 LongRanger, the unit today operates a fleet of three helicopters — a Bell 206B JetRanger, a Bell 407, and a hoist-equipped Bell UH-1H “Huey” — which together provide the performance the unit needs to operate over King County’s varied and challenging terrain.
The county, which has a population of about two million, includes the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, and sits in the shadow of Mount Rainier, a 14,410-foot (4,392-meter) active volcano (recent seismic activity in the region has highlighted the potential for earthquakes). Across the eastern half of the county stretches the Cascade mountain range, as well as thick northwestern forests where trees tower over 250 feet tall. On the west is the Puget Sound, with seemingly endless miles of waterways. And at the center of it all is the King County Sheriff’s ASU — which, even as it approaches its 25th year of operation, continues to evolve.
The ASU also operates a Bell 407 and a Bell 206 JetRanger. The two are used as patrol aircraft, but also act as support aircraft when performing rescues.
A fleet of guardians
With the call sign “Guardian 1” the unit’s light Bell 407 and Bell 206B are the primary aircraft used for daily aerial patrols. Its calls run the usual gamut — pursuing stolen cars, perimeter support, roof searches and looking for suspects in backyards or business centers. “Obviously during winter, the interesting weather comes into play and affects regular patrols,” said Hersh Hoaglan, ASU’s safety and technology director. “Summer is much more predictable, and is by far the busiest time of the year for . . . both the patrol and search-and-rescue sides of the house.”
Mostly due to ASUs current supervisor, Sergeant Reid Johnson, the unit has been able to capitalize on grant funding to upgrade mission equipment on the light helicopters. This includes the Churchill ARS mapping system, TrakkaBeam search lights, better video screens, video downlinking equipment, and — most significantly — a new FLIR Star Safire 380-HDc camera. Hoaglan said the upgraded moving map system is used in virtually every law enforcement situation, while during nighttime missions, night vision goggles (NVGs) are used for navigation and the Flir for nighttime ground searches.
Keith Potter, the unit’s chief flight instructor, told Vertical the Bell 407 was a “terrific aircraft” that had brought a great deal more capability and performance to the ASU with its arrival in 2008. “It has the power and speed to get on scene quickly and performs well in the mountains,” he said.
Weather permitting, night patrols of the county’s urban areas take place year-round.
The unit’s third aircraft, the Goodrich hoist-equipped Huey, has the call sign “Guardian 2.” King County’s neighbor to the north, Snohomish County, also has a UH-1H configured for SAR — and the two aircraft represent Washington state’s entire fleet of hoist-equipped parapublic SAR helicopters. (The units regularly cover each other’s backyards, and try to train together when possible.) Consequently, it is not unusual for King County ASU to conduct missions as far south as Washington’s border with Oregon, or north to the Canadian border. However, most SAR missions take place in the Cascade mountain range — a major recreational attraction for the people of the Puget Sound region .
King County’s Huey averages about 25 hoist rescues each year, in addition to numerous searches for lost or injured people. Many of its hoist missions are for basic life support, and some are a matter of simply shortening the SAR mission by reducing the “hike-out” time. However, some are truly life threatening, requiring an immediate hoist rescue and transport to the nearest hospital — most times to Harborview, a level 1 Trauma Center.
As part of a consequence of the very short winter days in the Pacific Northwest, ASU has the capability to perform hoist rescues using NVGs. The unit has been using NVGs since 2005, and the pilots, who all average more NVG time than day and unaided combined, see the night SAR missions as simply part of the job. “NVGs have made the east part of the county accessible at night,” ASU chief pilot John Pugh told Vertical. “It’s so dark and remote, there’s no way we’d go out there unaided on a winter night. But now, with NVGs, it’s a routine experience.”
Hoist rescues can take place day or night. The unit is well versed in performing rescues at night with night vision goggles.
The unit also uses the Huey for missions with Seattle Fire Department — such as during a high rise building operation when they need to take people on or off a roof, or to hoist people on or off ships out in the water.
In 2004, King County ASU began a tactical insertion and extraction program with the sheriff’s SWAT team. The fast rope-equipped UH-1H is the primary aircraft, deploying teams of four to six tactical weapons officers, while the Bell 407 and 206 serve as command and control, and airborne shooting platforms. The program requires training during day and night scenarios to refine tactics and the interaction of units. Major exercises using all marine and aviation assets are conducted annually, while supporting training is conducted at least quarterly.
Training for the mission
The unit is staffed by four deputy pilots/tactical flight officers (TFOs) and supervised by a non-flying sergeant. Nine additional deputies have been trained to serve as crew for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions in both the hoist operator and rescue specialist roles.
The standard crew configuration is two pilots, three crew, and (when required) two medics. The aircraft’s medical crews, which attend about half of the Huey’s calls, are provided by King County Medic One and the Bellevue Fire Department, who have created a pool of 36 paramedics to support the unit. “We have found their experience fits our needs, and [they] are the greatest improvement to our SAR program since the acquisition of the Huey’s hoist,” said Pugh.
Crew coordination is essential during close quarter rescue operations. This is where the unit’s extensive training comes into play.
In selecting deputies to join the unit as pilots, the ASU only considers those with a minimum of three years of patrol experience. Once chosen, these deputies begin tactical flight officer (TFO) training, which typically takes four to six months. A deputy must successfully complete TFO training before they are considered for flight training.
Once new pilots have gained their commercial certificate, they begin by flying day patrol and then move to nights. Once they’ve gained experience in both, they’re moved into the regular pilot rotation. All new pilots fly with a fully-rated unit pilot in command until they’ve reached at least 500 flight hours, and the chief pilot signs them off to fly pilot in command on patrol. During these initial 500 hours, new pilots typically transition into all three aircraft. They also acquire their NVG rating, and gain experience in mountain and SAR missions. By the time they have reached 750 hours, most new pilots are signed off on all three aircraft types and mission profiles.
However, the training never stops. The unit has formal training dates twice a month, and over the calendar year there is a balance of pilot, crew, flight, and ground training. The ASU uses every opportunity to expose pilots to new situations, or different variations of operations they’ve previously flown. It recognizes that due to its small size and challenging environment, one significant incident could mean the end of the unit; consequently, training and safety are taken very seriously.
The ASU patrols a large county, from downtown Seattle to the many outlying communities.
Pugh said pilots quickly learn to constantly watch the weather, and always have a plan in place to escape or land if conditions turn. A major concern is getting trapped in the mountains; flights under clouds and into a deep mountain valleys come with the inherent risk of the weather closing in behind. “The urge to complete the mission is no different than anywhere else, but the danger of going IMC [instrument meteorological conditions] in the mountains haunts every pilot,” he said. “Every part of the world has unique flying challenges, and the Pacific Northwest is not exempt.”
Indeed, ASU aircrews may take off from their base at an elevation of 15 feet above mean sea level (AMSL), and within half an hour be setting up for a hoist rescue in the mountains at 8,000 feet AMSL — in very different conditions. “The lack of wind at home is no indication of what the winds funneled and accelerated through the mountain passes might be like as they roll out across the west facing foothills of the Cascades,” said Pugh.
As for the infamous Pacific Northwestern rain, Pugh said this typically is the standard from September through May, but it causes the unit no issues. “Rain induced fog is a concern, as is freezing rain and snow, but ASU still flies,” he said. “Many times the summer months are actually quite dry, although we can have some rain. In between we have snow, heat waves, thunderstorms, hail, and everything else — this a consequence of the cold northern Pacific and coastal mountain ranges. But changing weather is our normal.”
As for the maintenance of the aircraft, it’s all performed by Northwest Helicopters Inc. (NWH) of Olympia, Wash. Light maintenance is typically performed at the ASU hangar, while larger jobs and projects are performed at NWH’s facility.
“General helicopter maintenance is the lion’s share of the support NWH provides, but possibly more critical is their non-maintenance support for our helicopters and crews,” Guy Herndon, ASU’s maintenance director, told Vertical. “Without a doubt, [the] ASU would like to have in-house maintenance — as do most operators — but it is hard to seriously consider such a transition for there would be no possible way to match the support and assistance provided by Northwest Helicopters.”
Puget Sound lies on the west of the ASU’s patrol area, providing seemingly endless miles of waterways.
A ‘Super’ Future
In 2014, the unit was awarded grant funding to overhaul and rebuild another UH-1H into the high performance “Super Huey” variant. This additional Huey will help eliminate periods of unavailability due to maintenance on the current aircraft. The unit expects to sign a contract soon, with delivery of the new aircraft’s expected in late 2105 or early 2016. “The new UH-1H Super Huey will give us the maximum performance we require during mountain operations around the higher peaks of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges,” said Pugh.
As for the light helicopters, Pugh said the Bell 407 is an optimal machine for the unit’s operations. “It has the power, speed and is economical enough to fly every day,” he said. The unit is currently trying to obtain a few of the soon-to-be retired U.S. Army TH-67 Creeks (the military version of the Bell 206B-3) to increase its patrol fleet. Pugh said they also hope to obtain another Bell 407 for the missions that require the aircraft’s extra performance.
The unit’s UH-1H trains with a basket system used by the Seattle Fire Department.
In terms of technology arriving with the unit, a new video downlink initiative that is expected to include the unit’s patrol helicopters will soon become reality. Funded through a grant, the initiative is designed to connect the entire region through omnidirectional antennas, fiber optic cable, and the internet. The goal is for regional ground units and supervisors to have real-time high quality video downlink at command posts and even in patrol car laptops.
Every year, King County Sheriff’s ASU is tasked with more searches, more rescues, and more law enforcement missions. On any given day, ASU crews could be flying a routine afternoon patrol in the Bell 407, and within minutes transition to the Huey to support a SWAT team needing insertion into a remote area. A few hours later, the Huey could be called out for a night NVG mountain hoist rescue where a victim’s life is on the line. Summing up the unit’s wide-ranging competencies, Sergeant Reid Johnson said: “Citizens in the Pacific Northwest might not know a lot about the King County Sheriff’s ASU, but when trouble comes, they appreciate the capabilities this small unit possesses.”