A mounted helicopter fuselage on the east side of the Griffith-Merrillville Airport is set to become the training backbone of the Lake County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit, Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. announced Thursday.
Flanked by 13 businesses and trades who helped mount the department’s first helicopter – a 1965 Huey – to the 150-foot tower several months ago, Martinez praised them for their “dedication and collaboration” for turning the project into reality. Officers stationed at the unit use the tower to train on maneuvers, Lake County Police Chief Vince Balboa said.
“Since the U.S. Coast Guard has scaled back their operations, we and the State Police’s aviation unit in Indianapolis are the only two units in the state that do this,” Balboa said. “We assist the officers on the ground.”
And they’re not just searching and apprehending suspects, Balboa said. The aviation officers are often called in to search for missing children and dementia patients as well as help local fire departments with giant fires or fires in locations hard to reach with regular fire equipment, such as the giant fire that raged on both sides of I-80/94 in Gary a few years back.
With that fire, the officers used so-called Bambi buckets, giant buckets that open from the bottom, retired Lake County Lt. Randy Phillips said as officers demonstrated how they’re used. After attaching the buckets to the bottom of the helicopter, officers fly them to water sources, fill them up and then fly back and dump the water from the air, he said.
“The water areas we use are within a mile, so we have good turnaround time,” Phillips said. “We’ve been called out to Newton, Jasper, Porter and LaPorte County to help out.”
Officers use the tower to train on how to lift various items, such as gurneys, Bambi buckets and other things they need to haul to a site, Balboa said. They’ll also train K9 officers, who sometimes go on assignment in the copters, and will train on the use of “scream suits,” which are used to lift people who’re scared of heights, he said.
“I’m particularly proud to announce that union members and local businesses stepped up to volunteer their time, resources and materials to build this platform,” Sheriff Martinez said. “This initiative reflects the strong partnership between organized labor and the sheriff’s department, showcasing our shared commitment to community safety and support.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s houses four helicopters at Griffith: three Hueys — two of which the department received as surplus from the U.S. Army — and a smaller “civilian” helicopter used when officers need to get to a scene fast. The larger helicopters hold 209 gallons of gas and use 80 gallons per hour, Phillips said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
