Rescue training is based today at Stumphouse park

A three-day rescue training exercise is underway, based at Walhalla’s Stumphouse Tunnel Park. The Oconee Emergency Services and SC National Guard exercise includes drills using military Blackhawk helicopters staffed with civilian crews to rescue the sick and injured in remote locations. Crews are visiting locations identified by local responders as points that would prove challenging for rescue without the aid of a helicopter. Today’s training is based out of the Stumphouse Tunnel Park on Hwy. 28. The South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team is a partnership between the SC National Guard, the SC Fire Marshals Office and the SC Emergency Management Division. Civilian rescuers that make up the Hart team come from local agencies like Oconee County to serve citizens in SC in need. The team was deployed during the flooding event in October 2015 and is credited with more than 30 rescues.