Fairchild copters may be rescued

U.S. Air Force officials promised Wednesday to look for a way to keep helicopters at a base near Spokane, where they are frequently used for civilian rescues as well as military duty.

Under pointed questioning from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said taking all four helicopters away from the Survival School at Fairchild Air Force Base may present “too much risk that we need to mitigate.”

Wynne told Murray during a Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee hearing that Air Education Training Command, which oversees the Survival School, is looking for ways to restore the money for the helicopter squadron, known as the 36th Rescue Flight.

The helicopters are used to evacuate an average of three survival students each year and find 90 who become lost during training. They have also been involved in more than 600 civilian rescues in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon since 1973.

In January, helicopter crews from the 36th rescued a father and son who were stranded north of Sandpoint when their snowmobiles were disabled, and transported a woman who broke her leg in a snowmobile crash near Wallace.

“So you agree that it’s important for the Survival School?” Murray demanded.

“We certainly agree that there’s a need for them there,” Wynne replied. “I don’t know where I’d get the money right now, but I’m gonna look hard.”

The squadron’s annual budget is about $3.9 million for a total of 30 military and civilian personnel and the maintenance and operation of four helicopters. The proposed Air Force budget is about $110 billion.

After the hearing, Murray issued a statement saying she’s pleased with Wynne’s comments. He needs to “follow through by restoring the funding,” she added.

Murray’s exchange with Wynne was hailed by other members of the Washington delegation who have been lobbying the Pentagon to keep the helicopters in place. A spokeswoman for Sen. Maria Cantwell said they were looking for other ways to “keep the pressure on” until the money is firmly in the budget.

“It is great that the Air Force is recognizing the critical role of the helicopters within the community, specifically in regards to the search and rescue missions,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said in a statement Wednesday.

The Air Force faces budget challenges, McMorris Rodgers said, but it’s Congress’ job to help the service set priorities.

Ordinarily, the Air Force secretary might not know many details about a squadron of four aging helicopters and 30 people, but Wynne was well briefed for his questioning by Murray. “Obviously, we’ve had an impact,” Murray said later.