The Idaho Army National Guard and Boise Fire Department Train to Enhance Hoist Capabilities

BOISE, Idaho - The Idaho Army National Guard's State Aviation Group trained with members of the Boise Fire Department's swift-water dive team at Gowen Field to strengthen their joint aerial rescue capabilities.

The training allowed firefighters to practice using the Idaho Army National Guard's helicopter hoist while wearing specialized rescue equipment, preparing them to accompany flight crews on search-and-rescue and swift-water rescue missions.

"It's easier to train a firefighter who has swift water training to ride on the hoist than it is to train an Army hoist operator to become swift water qualified," said Bart Carrico, Boise Fire Department operations captain, paramedic and swift-water dive technician. "We are able to learn in a few iterations the skill set to ride down the cable and package the patient, which we already do, so this is just a slightly different variation of that."

The Idaho Army National Guard and Boise Fire Department have trained together several times a year since 2018. The agencies formalized their partnership with a memorandum of understanding earlier this summer.

The partnership combines the Idaho Army National Guard's aviation and hoist capabilities with the Boise Fire Department's technical rescue and advanced life support expertise, allowing both agencies to strengthen their aerial rescue capabilities.

The Idaho Army National Guard's HH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters are the only helicopters in Idaho equipped with hoists. The Black Hawks' powerful engines also allow crews to operate at high elevations and conduct rescues in rugged, inaccessible terrain.

The two organizations have conducted water rescues together, and Boise Fire Department paramedics have accompanied Idaho Army National Guard flight crews on search-and-rescue missions to provide additional medical expertise.

The Idaho Army National Guard has conducted 17 search-and-rescue missions this year, with Boise Fire Department paramedics assisting in three, including a July rescue on Mount Idaho, the state's seventh-highest peak. The mission marked the highest recorded hoist rescue in Idaho history.

A Boise Fire Department paramedic also remained on call with Idaho Army National Guard flight crews in July and August after Gov. Brad Little activated the Guard to support the state's wildfire response. The crews maintained an aerial rescue capability for wildland firefighters throughout the period but received no rescue requests.

"Our pilots and crew members train year-round for complex missions, integrating our community partners to perform technical and difficult search and rescue missions when our fellow citizens need us the most," said Col. Jim Mandel, Idaho Army National Guard state aviation officer.

Carrico estimates the partnership has saved approximately 10 lives, including four this year. The agencies first worked together in 2017 to rescue a 68-year-old man stranded in his home by floodwaters in Weiser. Their partnership expanded following that mission.

In 2019, the agencies helped rescue two people trapped by floodwaters surrounding their home near Grangeville.

More recently, in May 2025, the Idaho Army National Guard and Boise Fire Department teamed up to rescue two rafters on the Owyhee River in Malheur County, Oregon.

"We complement each other and increase both organization's ability to better serve our city and state," said Carrico.