SR3 Rescue Concepts

A giant leap: Honolulu Fire Department’s Bell 429 upgrade expands its rescue capabilities

John Mahon — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:15:34 +0000

Honolulu Fire Department’s upgrade to the Bell 429 marks a new era in search-and-rescue operations, increasing the department’s safety envelope and capabilities.

Thousands of miles from the mainland, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) is uniquely self-sufficient and innovative. This is especially true when it comes to its search-and-rescue (SAR) and wildland fire suppression aviation assets.

Read Full Article Here: https://verticalmag.com/features/giant-leap-honolulu-fire-department-bell-429-upgrade-expands-rescue-capabilities/

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Swift Water Hoist Rescue Webinar

John Mahon — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 17:10:10 +0000

Mark your calendar – SR3 and the RealResq are excited to announce our next webinar course on swift water hoist rescue operations!

This webinar will be presented by SR3 instructors Steph Maier and Jason Quinn, who both have extensive experience teaching and conducting these challenging rescues.

Topics will include:

Overview and statistics of swift water rescues
Hydrology and the behavior of water
Swift water hazards
Rescue equipment, devices, and personal protective equipment
Health considerations
Helicopter hoist rescue techniques for victims in moving water, trees, and vehicles
Q&A session

This event is scheduled for Tuesday January 24^th at 2 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, and registration is $50 USD. Can’t attend live? No worries – register and you will be able to view the recording at any time after the completion of the event! Click below to register!

This course is designed for all levels of experience. Remember – you don’t know what you don’t know. We hope to see you there!

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SR3 Aerial Firefighting Training

John Mahon — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 03:43:17 +0000

Come ride along on an aerial firefighting training class with SR3 Rescue concepts! Delivered by experienced pilots and ground crew with decades of combined fire experience, SR3 can provide all types of aerial firefighting instruction from initial program stand-up through to advanced classes.

Covering all aspects of fire suppression, from ground school where we discuss fire behavior and suppression strategies and tactics, to aircraft type specific in-flight instruction on all types of firefighting systems including “simplex” tanks and “bambi” buckets on both short and long lines. The SR3 team can meet all of your training needs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgSKTOMz2pw

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New Mexico State Police first hoist rescue

John Mahon — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 18:27:32 +0000

Earlier this year, the New Mexico State Police received initial hoist training from SR3 instructors after purchasing a brand new Airbus H145. SR3 had an incredible experience training with this group of professionals, who were eager to learn. We are pleased to announce that earlier this week, they successfully completed their first ever helicopter hoist rescue in agency history!

The H145 replaced the agencies previous helicopter, an AW109, which did not have the capability to hoist. The addition of the new Airbus along with hoist rescue training from SR3 greatly increased the ability of the New Mexico State Police to perform rescues in the state, and we are happy to share this media release of their first hoist rescue!

The rescue was textbook and went extremely well. After having an opportunity to work with such fine men and women from the New Mexico State PD Air Support Unit, it came as no surprise to us they did such a tremendous job.

At SR3, we are extremely proud to see this agency accomplish their first ever hoist rescue, and humbled to have had the chance to work along side them. Check out the video below for a rundown of this hoist mission and some commentary from those that performed it. Here’s to many more safe rescues and making a difference in their community!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShVTbOS07eM&feature=youtu.be

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Rescue Equipment – Are You Doing It Right?

John Mahon — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:41:59 +0000

In the November 2020 edition of AirMed&Rescue, SR3 Hoist Program Manager Rob Munday talks about selecting the right rescue equipment for helicopter missions.

Often when we visit organizations to provide training or a safety audit we find outdated equipment being used. It is also common for an operator to be using equipment that has long since been replaced by a much more effective piece of gear.

While the world of search and rescue equipment is always evolving, there are certain items that have been proven to be the best option for safety for several years. In this article Rob does a great job breaking down the basics of what is considered the current industry standard for many of these items.

Rob-Rescue-Equipment-Article Download

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Mountain Rescue Training

John Mahon — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 03:37:01 +0000

https://youtu.be/VlH-Y6YZst4

Check out this sweet video from some mountain rescue training in Red Rock Canyon, in Las Vegas!

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HeliOps magazine – Air Support article

John Mahon — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 03:20:57 +0000

Air-Support-SR3-1 Download

Click above to download a great feature article written by Jason Jorgensen while attending our initial hoist rescue course provided to the New Mexico State Police in Albuquerque, NM In June 2020.

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“Life on the wire” – A round table SAR discussion

John Mahon — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 03:02:27 +0000

https://youtu.be/spnexkNDXMk

At HAI heli-expo 2020 – SR3 Rescue concepts was invited by Vertical Magazine to host a round table discussion with SAR professionals from around the world including Canada, Ireland, and locations in the USA such as Montana, Las Vegas and San Diego. We discuss memorable rescues and tips for staying safe, and more, please enjoy!

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SR3 Litter/Tagline Demo

John Mahon — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 02:05:50 +0000

In this video, SR3 instructors demonstrate the proper use of a tagline during a litter extraction. This is a very effective means to prevent spin, particularly in confined areas.

The tagline attendant is positioned on the ground far enough away to create a proper angle, allowing for control of the litter. Angle is critical – if the line is directly below the litter it becomes ineffective, allowing spin to occur. The crew uses great communication to verify the tagline has been released, to prevent a departure with it still attached.

A briefing is also conducted in advance to identify what action will be taken if the tagline weak link breaks, or a spin develops for any reason. In this case, forward flight at a speed of approximately 30 knots as soon as it is safe to do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACB_o23-Wmc

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Technical Hoist Operations – APSCON 2019

John Mahon — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 23:17:27 +0000

SR3 will be presenting a class on technical hoist operations at APSCON 2019 that you won’t want to miss! The topics will include risk mitigation, night hoisting, high altitude and confined operations along with ship pilot transfers at sea. We have included a little bit for everyone in this class!

Follow this link for more information on the conference:

https://publicsafetyaviation.org/events/apscon-2019-omaha-ne

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