Helicopter rescue training on Lake Norman

On location with aquatic rescue teams

Members of the North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART) refresh their skills during training exercises in May 2012 on Lake Norman. More than 60 National Guards troops, first responders and emergency management officials from across the state spent four days practicing rescuing survivors in various lake conditions.

NCHART combines the expertise of local rescue technicians with the training, maintenance and capabilities of the N.C. National Guard and the N.C. Highway Patrol Aviation units. The NCHART program became the first of its kind in the nation to implement a regimented training and response program that combines the best civilian rescuers with military aviation assets. HART teams were used extensively following hurricanes Frances and Ivan in 2004 to rescue an estimated 350 residents from fast moving water and areas isolated when landslides cut off roads and escape routes. Since then, the teams also have rescued numerous stranded or injured hikers from remote mountainous regions..Participating agencies: N.C. Emergency Management; N.C. National Guard; Lincoln County Emergency Management; Lincoln County Sheriffs Office; Fire Departments from Denver, East Lincoln, Sherrills Ford-Terrell, Mooresville, South Fork, Union, Asheville and Charlotte; Lincoln County EMS; Lincoln County Water Rescue Team; N.C. Wildlife; US Coast Guard Auxillary; Gaston EMS; Lincoln and Cleveland county Local Incident Management Teams; and North Carolina All-Hazards Incident Management Team.