Priority 1 Air Rescue Services (Booth No. N5012) announced Monday the opening of its new Search and Rescue–Tactical Training Academy (SART/TAC) in Mesa, Ariz. The company says the 6,000-sq-ft facility is the first instructional center focused on providing helicopter SAR and tactical mission aircrew training for government agencies and commercial operators.

“In the past few years we have seen a marked increase in training demands from customers requiring greater program standardization, transition training for newly delivered SAR aircraft, night SAR mission training, and more advanced training for greater mission capability,” said Priority 1 president Brad Matheson. “SART/TAC gives us an unrivalled ability to provide our customer’s mission training needs.”

Among the programs offered at the new facility are inland/maritime SAR training, utility industry worker placement and emergency evacuation, helicopter emergency medical services and military and law enforcement tactical operations. A 28-lane Olympic-sized pool also allows the SART/TAC to offer specialized underwater rescue and evacuation training courses, including helicopter under-water egress training.

“With decreasing budgets, commercial and defense agencies worldwide are seeking more effective training to achieve greater mission capability and faster program implementation for their contracts,” noted company senior vice president of training Patrick Dennis. He added that Priority 1’s focus will now turn to the opening this year of an additional training center in the European Union.