The mountain rescue team held a helicopter exercise with the Austrian Armed Forces this week. Dog handlers, helicopter crew and, last but not least, the “rescuers on four paws” trained extensively for possible real-life missions.
Due to the alpine nature of the province of Salzburg, it is necessary for the rescue organizations to repeatedly train for operations at high altitudes and in exposed terrain. Time plays a decisive role in avalanches. The faster it is possible to bring search dogs directly to the scene of the accident, the greater the chance of rescuing people alive from the masses of snow.
“The dogs get used to the aircraft in several stages. First, they practise getting on and off the stationary helicopter, only then is the turbine started. After this ‘sniffing’, a first flight takes place in the cabin. This acclimatizes the dogs to this unusual situation so that they can then continue with the search for missing persons in a concentrated manner. Noise, wind from the rotor blades, not to mention the acceleration forces during flight maneuvers, mean enormous stress for the dogs. That’s why regular exercises are necessary,” explains the training manager. The dog handlers also gained important experience when instructing the approaching helicopter to land. This is particularly helpful for the pilot on snowy surfaces, as the swirling snow causes a “white out” and the person giving the instructions remains the only point of orientation.
As a proven training partner for the mountain rescue team, the Austrian Armed Forces provided an Alouette III helicopter. The aircraft, together with a tanker, came from the Fiala Fernbrugg air base in Aigen im Ennstal and was available for a whole day of extensive training.
