Story & Photos by William R. Toler
ROCKINGHAM — A UNC AirCare chopper touched down in the field beside Freedom Baptist Church late Saturday morning, giving local first responders a chance to practice setting up a landing zone.
The training, hosted by the Richmond County Rescue Squad and UNC AirCare started with a classroom portion at the Northside Fire Department station before crews set up the zone, communicating with the helicopter crew.
Rescue Lt. Heather Bellamy said the LZ commander has to set an area large enough for the helicopter and mark all ground hazards and give them a description of the landing zone.
After it landed, first responders had the chance to look inside and learn how patients are loaded and cared for during the flight.
Participating departments were the Ellerbe Rescue Squad, the Northside and Derby volunteer fire departments and West End Fire and Rescue from Moore County.
“This training is a great opportunity for members of the different departments to learn the tasks associated with this … and to be able to train with each other,” Bellamy said.
The training also served as a public outreach event, according to Bellamy, with people from the community stopping by to ask questions and take photos with the helicopter, first responders and the trucks.
Richmond County Rescue plans to hold quarterly mutal aid trainings throughout the year.
“We are thankful for the community we serve and are always looking for new volunteers,” Bellamy said.
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Deputy Chief Brenden Watson via email at Bwatson817@yahoo.com.
