GOLDEN VALLEY – Golden Valley Fire District (GVFD) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) personnel participated in a joint training exercise near the GVFD Administration Office on Egar Road located in the western portion of Golden Valley.
The flight crews of Air Rescue landed behind the GVFD Office and then set up their equipment and the helicopter in preparation for long-line water drops onto Bureau of land Management lands adjacent to Fire Station #12 and the GVFD Fire District Office.
After preparing for the water drops, the various Air Rescue pilots and flight crews took turns with the helicopter, picking up water in a 105-gallon basket from a temporary tank behind the GVFD Office and then dropping their load onto a simulated fire.
The training included radio communication between the Air Rescue crews and the firefighters on the ground at the simulated fire location. In addition, firefighters on the ground were directing the helicopter to the water drop area.
Both DPS Air Rescue and GVFD firefighters participate in various training exercises throughout the year with other fire districts, fire departments and other agencies such as the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue units.
- Butch Meriwether
