FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Army National Guard conducted a helicopter orientation training event for emergency responders Sept. 11 at the Army Aviation Support Facility No. 1 and Muir Army Heliport.

More than 120 firefighters and rescue personnel from several fire companies in the surrounding communities and along the installation's most common helicopter flight routes attended this unique training experience.

Muir Army Heliport is billed as the second-busiest heliport in the U.S. Army and home to the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site and a portion of the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade’s aircraft. Pennsylvania Army National Guard helicopters are a common sight in the skies throughout central Pennsylvania, so it’s important that first responders are prepared if they ever need to respond to a helicopter emergency in their area.

“The first goal would be to orient them to our helicopters and what their missions are, their capabilities and what they need to be aware of if they would respond to the scene of an accident,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Danielle J. Watkins, aviation safety officer for the Army Aviation Support Facility No. 1 and the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade.

This training event also provides an opportunity to build a strong working relationship between the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and community partners, allowing attendees to get up close and personal with the three primary helicopters in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s inventory: the CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota.

It’s likely that civilian fire and rescue personnel would be the first to respond if a Pennsylvania Army National Guard helicopter were involved in an emergency landing or mishap outside the installation, so this event helps them better understand these aircraft if that ever occurs.

“They'll basically be able to do a walk around and climb in the aircraft,” Watkins said. “Have that actual hands-on training experience to know the things that are important on the aircraft, such as where the fuel lines are, the fuel cells, where they could expect to find air crew members or passengers, and maybe how many [people may be] on board.”

One of the great benefits the National Guard offers the nation is that its members often live and work in the communities where they serve, and in some cases, this is also true for first responders.

“I think [this training] is a great idea,” said John Wagner, a former Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldier who is now with the Reade Volunteer Fire Co. in Reade Township. “Not a lot of folks know what to do with these things, the materials that the aircraft are made of … So, to be able to know what to do and know the aircraft makes a world of difference if something does happen in my area.”

The training helped first responders gain a deeper understanding of the various challenges they might face in responding to an aircraft incident, as well as some considerations they may not have previously considered.

“We all think aviation fuel and that's what we have to worry about,” said Sarah Monger of the Tremont Volunteer Fire Co., in Schuylkill County, of her first up-close experience with Army helicopters. “But no. Magnesium is everywhere [on these aircraft].”