VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Navy barges from Virginia Beach are assisting with salvage operations in the Potomac River, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Crews are in Washington, D.C., helping with recovery efforts after a commercial plane and a military helicopter collided in a deadly midair crash last Wednesday.
As these salvage operations progress, News 3 is learning more about the challenges first responders face on the water during search and recovery missions and the resources available in Hampton Roads.
Members of the Virginia Beach Fire Department told News 3 they have several rescue boats used in a variety of emergencies, often in coordination with other agencies.
"In our area, we have boats at pretty much every major city, as well as the Coast Guard out of Little Creek. Usually, the Coast Guard coordinates all other assets," said Fire Captain Andrew White of the Virginia Beach Fire Department. "We work closely with Norfolk and Hampton; we also have EMS assets that have boats in the city."
The Virginia Beach Fire Department's team has been called upon for incidents involving drownings, boats in distress, search and rescues, and, in years past, helicopter crashes.
Sonar equipment effective at specific depths, exposure suits, and mechanisms for collecting items from the water help crews navigate challenging conditions. However, they face significant hurdles.
"With our side-scan and sonar capabilities, we can spot an object under the boat, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will be in the same spot when we return for a second approach," White said.
He added that water movement, weather conditions, scale, and debris pose difficulties for first responders, including those at the crash site in the Potomac River.
"They experience tidal fluctuations, which can present challenges, especially when divers need to enter the water at specific times," White explained.
The often unpredictable conditions underscore the importance of training, he said.
"We place an emphasis on training. Just like we always do, we want to be prepared to respond if an incident occurs here. We hope it doesn't happen, but we ensure our training is up to speed so that if it does, we can mitigate the incident as effectively as possible," White said.
As the crew in Virginia Beach resumed training on Saturday, their thoughts were with the families and first responders dealing with the unimaginable tragedy in Washington, D.C.
