OPERATIONS The Fairfax County Aviation Unit was


launched in 1972, following the gift of an Enstrom F28 from a local business­ man, only to be terminated in 1975. After some re­evaluation, the unit re­ opened its doors in the early 1980s and has been serving the citizens of the Washington, DC metropolitan area and suburbs ever since. They are currently staffed with a crew of 20 members that operate on a unique schedule. A typical crew consists of one pilot and two tac­ tical flight officers / paramedics. They work 12­hour shifts that rotate 2 on / 2 off, 3 on / 3 off. Four weeks of dayshift are followed by four weeks of night­ shift, rotating back and forth. The unit currently flies two Bell 429’s, which are dually fitted for law enforcement and EMS operations.


VERSATILITY The crew instantly stood out during


our time together. It consists of one Chief Pilot, five Pilots, eleven Tactical Flight Officers (TFOs) / Paramedics, one non­flying Commander, one DOM and one Maintenance Technician. The ver­ satility of the dual­rated TFOs / Medics adds greater service for the taxpayers. Further, all members of the crew are proficiently trained in NVG, FLIR, aerial surveillance, and static line rescue in support of both police and fire rescue units. The unit averages 2,200 missions per


year, and 95% of these are in support of police units on the ground. In 2012, they transported 150 trauma patients, not including inter­facility transfers. In addition, they serve a lead role in Project Life Saver, which is an opt­in program for families of Alzheimer and Autistic persons. Members of this pro­ gram are equipped with a banded radio transmitter that can be found with a direction finder. When needed, the hel­ icopter is used as a platform to locate the radio signal transmitted from the band. One of their Project Life Saver success stories involved locating a ten­


year­old boy, who was found in a lake stuck in chest deep water. Without the unit’s quick response, the results could have been tragic. Members of the unit place high


emphasis on professionalism, team­ work, training and meticulous records. Chief Pilot Paul Schaaf made it clear that each member in the unit serves an equally important role. When hiring pilots, he said, “We look for someone with a subdued ego who finds personal


municated constantly with the ground units, another helicopter, and air traffic control, but most importantly with each other. It was clear the main goal was to assist the units on the ground and it was a team responsibility, not a pilot responsibility.


VALUE When asked what makes the Fairfax


County Aviation Unit unique, Schaaf confirmed the dual role of the TFO / EMS Officer, but he also noted the spe­ cialization of roles between the Pilot and TFO. He said, “We specialize as Pilots or TFOs and never blur this line.” Why is this so important? Most of the missions flown are in direct response to incidents in progress. In other words, they do very little patrol. The unit incor­


THE UNIT AVERAGES 2,200 MISSIONS PER YEAR, AND 95% OF THESE ARE IN SUPPORT OF POLICE UNITS ON THE GROUND. IN 2012, THEY TRANSPORTED


150 TRAUMA PATIENTS, NOT INCLUDING INTER-FACILITY TRANSFERS.


success and enjoyment in team accom­ plishment. Specifically, this job is about delivering the medics and patients to the hospital and putting the TFOs in position to search for and find our tar­ gets on the ground. It is not about the pilot getting the glory.” During our visit, I had the opportuni­


ty to fly jump seat on a robbery scene call where the unit was serving as back­ up to the police units on the ground. Operating low­level, between runway flight paths at Dulles International Airport, it happened to be a night where air traffic was busy and obstacles were in abundance. Their commitment to teamwork was evident as they com­


porates an extremely disciplined start and run­up procedure. They are expected to be starting the helicopter within one minute of receiving a priori­ ty request and to be airborne within 90 seconds. With this type of response time, job roles and duties must be clear­ ly defined. When assisting ground unit patrols, it


is certainly their goal to make a success­ ful apprehension, and this is generally the outcome. However, they do not define their success this way. Success is not defined solely by what they find, it is also determined by what they don’t find. Schaaf explained, “When a sus­ pect runs into a 30­acre parcel of


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