Rescue wing gears up for Ernesto

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Cathleen Snow
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AFB, Fla. --  The 920th Rescue Wing is taking measures to prepare for Tropical Storm Ernesto as it heads toward Central Florida.

The wing is evacuating its aircraft to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. Tuesday morning. Crews will fly the wing's HH-60Gs Pavehawk helicopters and HC-130P/N Hercules aircraft to the designated base located near Atlanta.

In the mean time, the wing has initiated safety measure to assure wing members and their families are safe and its equipment and vehicles are secure.

Over the weekend, the wing's aircraft were postured for astronaut recovery efforts in preparation for the scheduled space shuttle launch Sunday. Due to the cancellation of the launch and the incoming weather, maintenance crews reconfigured the aircraft for potential hurricane rescue efforts.

"As a rescue wing, we are always ready to go at a moment's notice. We are trained to be flexible and are leaning forward to keep our members and their family's safe and to prepare to do what we train for everyday, rescue and recovery," said Col. Joe Trippy, 920th Rescue Wing Vice Commander.

The 920th Rescue Wing is one of the most called upon units in the Air Force Reserve. During the aftermath of last year's devastating Hurricane Katrina, the wing was responsible for getting more than a thousand people to safety.

The 920th Rescue Wing is the only reserve rescue wing in the U.S. Wing members continually deploy in and around the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism and other contingencies. The wing's primary mission is combat search and rescue, but it also provides recovery support for space shuttle and rocket launches as well as humanitarian calls for help.