forests, and recreational areas, they may also be called on to perform firefighting and search-and-rescue operations. This level of capability is not typical of airborne law enforcement agencies.
For firefighting missions, the aviation section relies on a 144-gallon Bambi Bucket system that allows the team to pull water from small sources in remote locations in order to quickly get water onto a fire. The team has also hosted several multi-agency aerial firefighting training events at the HCSO’s Walter C. Heinrich Practical Training Facility in order to make multi-agency firefighting ops safer in their region. These training events have been attended by organizations like the National Guard, Florida Forest Service, Tampa Police Department, and Citrus County, Florida.
In the event that a patient needs to be accessed or extracted from a remote location, such as over water or in a swamp, the unit relies on its Goodrich hoist system to get the job done. When a search-and- rescue call is activated and the hoist will be required, the tactical flight officer (non-flying pilot) will reposition to the back of the helicopter to operate the hoist. Additionally, depending on the type of call, the mission may require a rescue specialist to accompany the aircraft. In these cases, the aviation section may rely on such partners as a SWAT team, Special Incident Response Team (SIRT), or Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to provide those personnel with the specialized training required to operate in and around the helicopter during rescue operations.
Although helicopter operations make up the majority of the 2,000 hours the unit flies annually, it is not relegated to only helicopter ops. In addition to the four helicopters, it flies a Cessna 208 Caravan airplane as well. The strutted, high-wing 208 typically seats nine passengers in its unpressurized cabin, is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A tractor turboprop, and has a fixed tricycle landing gear. HCSO fixed-wing operations can include surveillance, administrative flights, and disaster relief.
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