LifeTeam helicopter crew members loaded a different kind of cargo into their air ambulance Saturday morning during a specialized training exercise at the Emporia Airport.
Teams from the Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association converged on the airport to give the dogs and their handlers some practice “hot loading” into a helicopter.
Nine dogs and eight handlers took part in the training, along with LifeTeam Chief Pilot Ken Jackson and three crew members, who provided safety training before the loading practices.
It was not a simple exercise, said Vicki R. Walton, KSARDA Southern Region Deputy Director. Dogs in general are not enthusiastic about jumping into cavernous areas they cannot see. They are less inclined to jump when the deafening noise of the helicopter rotors compounds their hesitancy.
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