Safety Through People And Policy
From a management perspective, the leadership does not believe that its ability to be successful hinges entirely upon equipment. Although the right equipment for the mission improves operational outcomes, the real difference is in the unit’s maintenance, its people, and a philosophy that governs operations through leadership and risk mitigation.
Due to the high operational tempo, maintenance plays a critical role in the unit’s ability to maintain readiness for day-to- day operations. The maintenance team is made up of four A&P mechanics. Among these four is the maintenance supervisor who holds an FAA Inspection Authorization. With the unit flying anywhere between 4,300 and 5,000 hours per year, the maintenance team is performing a 100-hour inspection approximately every eight days in addition to other scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Director Morris notes, “I put maintenance at the top of importance. If the helicopters are not flying, we will not be able to fulfill our mission and support the needs of the community.”
perform the rescues. In-house, seven SAR officers and one sergeant make up the core team of rescue techs. Another 47 highly trained volunteers from the local professional community can be drawn upon to supplement the core team of specialists on an as-needed basis. To keep this large team in a constant state of operational readiness, Morris says the key is standardization in training among personnel.
Given that all the pilot staff comes from within the ranks of the organization,
enough to tell your pilots and crews to “be safe.” It really does not mean a whole lot if the agency’s risk mitigation policy and procedures don’t promote safety.
Regarding flight standardization, the chief pilot has been tasked with working with the flight instructors to ensure they are teaching the same thing across the pilot teams. The combination of CFI meetings and Airbus/MD factory training ensures the unit’s pilots are standardized.
“WITH PILOTS AND COPS THERE CAN BE A LOT OF EGO, SO I TRY AND REMOVE EGO DECISIONS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.”
Operationally, the unit has a total of 16 pilots who are dual-qualified to function as TFOs and be NVG qualified. Additionally, one other TFO is pulled from another agency. When it comes to the rescue side of the house, in addition to the pilots, there’s a large cadre of personnel who
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flight training is built into the program. A dedicated MD 530F training helicopter and six flight instructors on staff make it their business to make professional pilots out of police officers. There is usually two hours to three hours of training per day prepping future pilots to not only perform the job, but to take and pass FAA checkrides for certification.
One big focus of the director and the chief pilot is on risk management within the unit using communications, policy, and standardized training to drive safety outcomes. Morris points out that it’s not
“With pilots and cops there can be a lot of ego, so I try to remove ego decisions at the very highest level, so I don’t have young cops who are pilots making ego decisions that can get them into bad situations,” Morris explains.
As the commander of the unit, Morris makes it clear that the organization will not settle for anything mediocre. He says they desire to have the
best equipment, training, pilots, TFOs, mechanics, and crews. “Simply the Best,” a 1991 hit sung by Las Vegas draw Tina Turner, is played at officer graduation ceremonies at the LVMPD academy.
From personnel to training and equipment, it seems that LVMPD’s Air Support/Search and Rescue Section is intent on delivering “simply the best” service to Clark County, Nevada, citizens and visitors.
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