Mission Station Search and Rescue (SAR) Lemoore, equipped with four MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, stands at the forefront of rapid response and lifesaving operations for the central valley. With unparalleled versatility, this command is expertly trained to conduct critical rescue missions across diverse and challenging environments, ranging from vast open waters to rugged mountainous terrain. Leveraging state of the art technology and highly skilled aircrews, the unit is dedicated to ensuring the safety and recovery of personnel in distress, demonstrating unwavering commitment to saving lives under the most demanding conditions.Our primary mission is to provide continuous alert Search and Rescue support for 18 Strike Fighter Squadrons, four CVWs, CSFWP, CJSFWP commands while also augmenting Coast Guard and Air Force Assets in accordance with the National SAR plan. We also work closely with local agencies in order to be a responder to anyone in legitimate danger. SAR typically maintains either a 15, 30, or 60 minute alert posture in order to fulfill our missions.
(FAQ’s) Who do we support? o NAS Lemoore Tenant Commands o US Coast Guard o USAF Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) o Local Sheriff Departments o State & National Park Rangers o Local Volunteer Organizations o Anyone in Legitimate Danger (With C.O. Approval) From time of request how long until crew gets the aircraft into the air? It depends on our alert status. We stand a 30 minute alert 0800-2359 Monday-Friday. We stand a 60 or 120 minute alert outside those times. The earlier you call us the quicker we can respond. Monday –Friday we are generally prepositioned in a different location until sunset fulfilling our primary mission, so alert times and authorization may vary. How fast can you get to the scene? Assuming we have a good GPS point to fly to, a good rule of thumb is to measure the straight-line distance from NASL to the scene, in Nautical Miles, then divide that distance by 2. That should be the number of minutes until we can arrive on scene from the time we launch. For example, we can get to a site 60 nm away in 30 minutes. This rule of thumb is based on 120 knots of airspeed. How long can you remain on scene before having to refuel? Our normal fuel load allows us to fly for 3½ hours. Depending on how much fuel was expended getting to the location and where the nearest airfield is that we can refuel, our loiter time can vary significantly. We will provide a time estimate once we get on scene, and update you as time progresses. What is your callsign? We have four aircraft with callsigns LASSO 00, 01, 03, or 04. We will also answer to "navy helicopter" or "rescue helicopter". What requirement do you need for a landing zone day or night?Overwater: We can fly day or night in weather as low as 300' ceiling with 1 mile statue of visibility. We always have a rescue swimmer and hoisting capabilities. We are unable to land in the water or water taxi. Overland: During the day we can land in some pretty tight LZ's (as small as 80'x90') - something we practice regularly. However, larger areas are better. We are able to land on sloped terrain up to 6 degrees nose-down, 9 degrees nose-up, and 12 degrees cross slope. If landing is not an option, we can recover personnel via our hoist with 200' of cable. We are capable of hoisting up to 600 lbs either in a hover or via dynamic hoisting. We also have the ability to rappel our crewmen, to include our SAR medical technicians, up to 250' to package the patient in a litter or hoisting harness, transport the patient to a suitable site for loading into the aircraft. Are you available for night operations? We are Night Vision Goggle capable, but our approval requirements are more stringent for night missions. After reviewing current and forecasted weather, our Commanding Officer must approve all night operations into mountainous terrain. Night rescues are inherently more dangerous than daytime rescues. The earlier rescue notification, the better chance we have of rescuing personnel before dark. We can land at most hospitals to include Fresno’s Regional Medical Center, day or night. What is your preferred VHF radio frequency for air to ground communications? We have a very capable radio suite with this aircraft and can talk on just about every aviation and marine frequency in the VHF/UHF bands, so as long as you let us know what frequency we can reach you, we should be able to talk to you. We try to keep it simple by using State SAR common freq – 156.075 MHz (California State-wide SAR Frequency - Police Band). Each aircraft has 2 UHF/VHF Radios Radio frequencies covered (excluding offsets): 30.000-87.975 MHz (FM) 118.000-135.975 MHz (AM) 136.000-155.975 MHz (AM/FM) 156.000-173.975 MHz (FM) 225.000-399.975 MHz (AM/FM) Receive only 108.000-117.975 MHz (AM)Of note – we are NOT sidetone capable.How many patients can you transport? We have a maximum capacity of 8 seated passengers or 3 Litters + medical gear. Please be aware that our lifting capability is significantly decreased at higher altitudes, weights, and temperatures. We can provide a realistic load capability when called. What medical capabilities do you provide? Medical Capabilities of our SAR Medical Technicians (SMT's): Advanced Life Support (ALS) Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Equipment-Defibrillator and AED, O2/Portable Respirator, Ked (Flight Surgeon as situation dictates)