By 1st Lt James Kalemis
Commander, McHenry County Composite Squadron
Assistant Emergency Services Officer
A funded Search and Rescue exercise was held out of Palwaukee Airport (Chicago Exec) and Chain O Lakes Forest Preserve. The base was staffed by Incident Commander Maj Rhonda Anderson and Safety Officer 1st Lt Gillingham. Three aircrew sorties were flown for a total of almost 5 hours flying time. The aircrews consisted of Maj Danny Degott, 1st Lts Jay Trivedi, Mark Kurzinski and Dave Gillingham, 2nd Lt Jim Krieger, and Capt Joe Long. The sorties consisted of an ELT search coordinating with the ground teams, and two sorties were surveys of the bridges along the Fox River looking for damage and potential flooding.
Seventeen members from six squadrons particiapted on the ground teams. The teams were led by Maj Andy Welch acting as the Ground Branch Director and 1st Lt James Kalemis as the Ground Team Lead. The team led by Lt Kalemis consisted of members who did not have a GTM SQTR yet. Lt Kalemis covered all the GTM3 Familiarization and Prepatory tasks, including a large compass course put together by Midway Composite Squadron Lts John Stys and Bree Gotsdiner. When the prepatory tasks were completed, the team executed an ELT find training mission.
The second ground team participated in an ELT find mission with the aircrews. The team began searching for the practice beacon utilizing standard UDF techniques as well as terrain / weather evaluation and related tasks. The aircrew assisted in the search by using their DF equipment and attempting to guide the Ground Team to the probable area. The team practiced air-to-ground coordination using VHF radios and signal mirrors.
After lunch the Spring Grove Fire Dept was on scene to contact the Flight For Life Helicopter on EMS GREEN channel and assist landing the aircraft. CAP personnel were staged at a safe distance awaiting the rotors to come to a final stop. The flight crew of the helicopter, commanded by Capt Jerry Notowitz, proceeded to explain what to look for in a possible landing zone (LZ) when a helicopter is needed. The crew also offered first hand experiences regarding medevac in the field. An opportunity was given to all our members to ask questions followed by a tour of the aircraft, including a peek at its ELT.
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