K9 teams get familiar with helicopter environment

Local search and rescue dogs had the chance to experience the sight, sound, smell, feel and environment of a UH-60 M Black Hawk helicopter during a ground training event with the Program Executive Office for Aviation’s Utility Helicopters project office at Signature Aviation in Huntsville.

Four teams, consisting of one handler and one canine each, from SARTEC K9 maneuvered on and off a static UH-60 to acquaint themselves with entry and exit of the aircraft. Once teams were comfortable with moving in and out of the helicopter, they donned ear protection – both the humans and dogs – and waited as the pilot spun up the helicopter’s rotor blades. One by one, each team approached and entered the helicopter, then exited back to their starting point. Each team repeated this process a few more times before the helicopter blades came to a stop.

SARTEC K9 is a nonprofit, volunteer search and rescue dog unit based in Madison specializing in air scent, trailing and human remains detection. Daniel Rasmussen, SARTEC K9’s operations officer, coordinated this event with the Utility Helicopters project office.

“We are lucky to have PEO Aviation support us,” Rasmussen said. “In some search and rescue scenarios it’s easier or quicker to get everyone to a location via air so exposing our dogs and handlers now takes out one layer of potential anxiety in a real-world event.”

Later this summer, Rasmussen’s dog, Leah, will participate in a joint agency training with Homeland Security Investigations and another federal agency partner.

“That event will include working with outside agency dog teams, setting up landing zones, medevac scenarios and flight time in a UH-60, so the timing for Black Hawk desensitization could not have been better,” Rasmussen said.

“Utility Helicopters assisting SARTEC and our local community was an easy decision on our part,” Col. Calvin Lane, project officer for Utility Helicopters, said. “This not only benefited the K9 teams but also our local community now that the dogs and handlers have confidence to operate in and around helicopters despite the noise, wind, vibration and smell of engine exhaust.”

“Some of our dogs will be catching rides on Black Hawks, some on A-Stars, MD-500s or Hueys, but the Black Hawk is the standard because if a dog will load a UH-60, it will likely load on anything,” Rasmussen said. “This opportunity will be invaluable for our teams during future operations. We have been empowered to provide even more search and rescue assistance to our community and surrounding areas.”