County exec Spano to ask for WCPD helicopter funding

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County exec Spano to ask for helicopter funding

By KEITH EDDINGS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: April 10, 2005)

When it first appeared over the horizon and then settled a few feet over her head to pull her from the half-frozen muck of Long Island Sound on Feb. 19, the rickety, 38-year-old helicopter flown by Westchester County police must have seemed a modern miracle to Andrea Alterman.

But to police Capt. Paul Stasaitis, the creaking relic of the Vietnam War (during which it was shot down twice) is ill-suited for modern police work and needs to be replaced with a helicopter more capable of fighting fires, responding to terror attacks, evacuating accident victims and pulling people from the muck.

"She was stuck up to her waist in mud, and we had to fly low enough so we were just about landing it," said Stasaitis, recalling the rescue off the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, where Alterman had wandered out too far while watching birds. "We had someone go out on the skids to pull her up. We successfully accomplished that mission, but with a rotary-wing aircraft, the lower and slower you fly, the more dangerous it is. You don't have any escape route."

Tomorrow, County Executive Andrew Spano will send the Board of Legislators a proposal to buy a $4.5 million, eight-seat helicopter that could hit 166 miles an hour (think Peekskill to Pelham in 12 minutes), fly nearly four miles high and lower police to a rescue while hovering at 50 or 60 feet instead of having them climb out onto the skids.

County police have been shopping for a new helicopter since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but the "bells and whistles" that former Police Commissioner Louis D'Aliso wanted then pushed the price tag to about $6.5 million, beyond what Spano was willing to spend, said Spano adviser Susan Tolchin.

The new commissioner, Thomas Belfiore, found something he likes for $4.5 million, then got $2 million in federal aid. Any helicopter manufacturer will be able to bid on the county purchase, but Belfiore said the Koala A119 made by Agustawestland, an Anglo-Italian company, comes closest to his specifications.

The helicopter would have a Bambi Bucket to carry loads of water to fires; a microwave downlink system to transmit real-time video of disasters and accidents to commanders on the ground; winches and hoists to drop rescuers into burning buildings and other emergencies and then evacuate victims; and infrared equipment to allow police to see through clouds and smoke.

County Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, was skeptical of the purchase three years ago, saying then that rescue helicopters owned by the Westchester Medical Center and the state police may be enough for Westchester. Last week, he said, "We have to make a policy decision (to determine) if this is a service we're going to provide. I don't want our police risking their lives (with old equipment)."

Alterman wouldn't comment on the proposal, but the details she recalls about her close brush with the helicopter that pulled her from the Marshlands muck suggest the county may need to upgrade.

"They told us to keep our heads down," she said. "It was landing and you don't stick your head up when something like that's around."

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Does anyone know if this was approved on Monday night?

Anyone also heard of this Helocopter brand?

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NYPD AVIATION RECENTLY TOOK DELIVERY OF THREE HERE IS THE LINK TO AUGUSTA'S NEWS RELEASE

RICK

http://www.agustawestland.com/communicatio...ews=139&yy=2004

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From what I heard, the County did in fact approve the purchase...time will only tell.