The Brief
- The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Bell 429 helicopter with twin engines now allows for hoist rescues.
- Tactical flight deputies and pilots have been training for the hoist rescues, and they saw the need following Hurricane Ian in 2022.
- Hoist rescues allow deputies to reach places that boats or vehicles cannot.
SARASOTA, Fla. – The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has a new helicopter, and it’s helping their crews respond to hard-to-reach places — getting deputies where they’re needed for hoist rescues.
The backstory:
The sheriff’s office first saw the need for the new helicopter when Hurricane Ian hit the area three years ago. They said so much flood water inundated areas like North Port that some boats and even high-water rescue vehicles couldn’t get to some homes or residents. …