Texas attorney buys hovercraft to help with flood rescues

Retirement planning has taken an interesting turn for Myall Hawkins, an intellectual property attorney in Houston, Texas. Two major factors played an important role in that turn:

 1) The dramatically rising risk of flooding and 2) The effectiveness of Neoteric Hovercraft in flood rescue operations.

Myall says, “I’m 64 and gearing up for what I want to do when I retire. So I thought, how can I help others? In recent years we’ve had major catastrophic floods in Texas, and predictions say we’re facing even more flooding and it will be more severe. So my thoughts turned to how I might provide assistance.”

He’s absolutely correct. The National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Association reports that 2019 was a record-breaking year of flooding and they expect that every year for decades to come will break the record over and over again.

What led Myall Hawkins to hovercraft?

Myall explains, “I live in a gulf county and from any storm coming in from the gulf coast, we’re going to be impacted first. Our first responders get overloaded. In 2017 with Hurricane Harvey, the Cajun Navy came in. Our Louisiana neighbors came in with flat bottom boats, airboats, cruisers, whatever they could.

“I became interested in how I could help. I bought an inflatable boat that’s good for some flooding events. But when I talked to first responders, they had plenty to say about the problems with boats in flood rescues, the main one being that outboard motors and propellers are easily damaged or lost. During Harvey, boats capsized and rescuers had to be rescued. 

“And most flooding is residential, so you often have one neighborhood under several feet of water, the next neighborhood may have hardly any, and in between the two are dry streets. So if you had a boat, you could only go so far.

“So I started researching flood rescue equipment that can handle swift water, shallow and deep flood water, and transition between grass, mud, sand, water and other surfaces – and came across hovercraft. I didn’t know anything about them, so I started searching online. There were different hovercraft companies out there, but I quickly learned that most first responders use Neoteric rescue hovercraft.”

Why a Neoteric hovercraft?

His next question was why most fire departments and rescue agencies choose Neoteric hovercraft. He says, “I discovered it’s because it’s the lightest weight. It’s got the highest horsepower. And it’s got reverse thrust, giving it maneuverability that’s just phenomenal. You can brake, turn, fly backwards, hover in place and fly easily right up to victims. No other hovercraft can do all that.”

After his thorough research, Myall purchased a pre-owned 6-passenger Neoteric rescue hovercraft. His first step after that was to undergo flight and maintenance training at Neoteric. “I would never operate a hovercraft without proper training,” he says. “That would be really foolish.”

Here, Myall learns to fuel his hovercraft as he begins his flight training with Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald at the Wabash River in Terre Haute, Indiana …

Myall’s training was his first experience in a hovercraft. His reaction? “Flying a Neoteric is phenomenal! You definitely don’t experience its capabilities until you get out on the hovercraft. You can read about it, you can see a video and that’s nice, but then you fly it yourself and oh, yeah, I can just imagine what we can do with this. It definitely is a performance machine.”

One aspect Myall noted was the hovercraft’s easy transition between different surfaces. “We went down the boat ramp and onto the water at a decent speed and you don’t feel the transition at all – it’s completely smooth – even going sideways. I was really surprised.” …

Back at Neoteric headquarters after successfully completing his flight training, Myall (left) receives his certification from President Chris Fitzgerald ...

What comes next?

After Hurricane Harvey, Myall reports that many civilians in Texas have come together to assist in flood rescue efforts, and he plans to join them. Numerous websites have been set up where these volunteers can list their equipment, their training, their location, and what they can do, then first responders call on them for help.

In the meantime, Myall explains, “My hovercraft was built in 2011. My next step is to have Neoteric upgrade it with current rescue features. I’ve told Chris I don’t want it quickly, I want it right, so whatever it needs, let’s do it. Then I’ll have it shipped to me in Texas.”

“Now that I’ve finished my initial standard training,” he says, “when the hovercraft is shipped to me, I’ll get more hours of experience in it, then come back for second level rescue training. So that’s my goal: get hours on the craft, get very comfortable with its operation, undergo rescue training and hopefully help save lives in future flooding.”

And a side benefit is that when Myall's hovercraft is not in use as a flood rescue vehicle, he can always enjoy it as a recreational hovercraft for river cruising, fishing and much more!

The importance of hovercraft in the future

There are few places on Earth where flooding is not a growing concern. Flooding is the #1 natural disaster in the United States, and of all U.S. weather-related disasters, floods are the main cause of death. The National Weather Service reports that 2019 was the wettest year in recorded history - 124 years -  and the frequency and intensity of floods will continue to increase.

Hovercraft are a critical rescue apparatus for flood rescue operations. As Myall Hawkins – along with first responders in more than 50 nations - have recognized, the Neoteric rescue hovercraft, with its exclusive patented reverse thrust, greatly tops the maneuverability of other hovercraft on the market. It performs safely in debris-filled, shallow, fast-flowing flood water and allows rapid up-close access to victims while keeping first responders above the danger – not in it.

The Mansfield Fire Department in Texas, who operates a Neoteric rescue hovercraft, sums it up quite accurately:  “The benefit of having the hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. It can also hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats that could be a hazard in flood water. A hovercraft is the answer to a faster rescue – a safer rescue.”

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Fire department’s new hovercraft used for water rescues

"Its versatility is what made the hovercraft a game-changer for water rescues, Chief McElfresh said. “It can run over mud, dry land, the road, on water and swift water.”

Seymour Tribune

June 26, 2019

by Jordan Richart

The latest floodwater rescue tool a fire department in central Jackson County has added to its arsenal of response vehicles has drawn plenty of curiosity from the public.

“You almost have to wait until late at night to go to the gas station,” Brownstown Volunteer Fire Department Chief Travis McElfresh joked. “Everywhere you go, people like to ask questions about it and see it up close.”

That mysterious, bizarre-looking craft is the department’s new Neoteric Hovercraft it purchased June 15.

During a recent discussion about the hovercraft outside the department, the vehicle drew a few passersby who wanted photos or more information about it.

A demonstration of the hovercraft on County Road 25E in Brownstown near floodwaters from the East Fork White River also drew a small audience who were eager to see it operate.

Brownstown Assistant Fire Chief Mitch Noelker demonstrates the use of the department's new hovercraft

in floodwaters off County Road 25E.

The oval-shaped craft is worth seeing, as the bottom is made up of 66 black fabric bags connected by heavy-duty zip ties and makes plenty of noise as it gears up. It is maneuvered by handlebars like a motorcycle and can reach a top speed of 70 miles per hour, but it is not recommended to go that fast. McElfresh said the craft can top out at 45 miles per hour on the water and 65 miles per hour on the ice.

The Neoteric Hovercraft is manufactured in Terre Haute and differs from boats and other hovercrafts in that it can go in reverse.

Hovercraft utilize one or more fans or propellers to create lift and thrust. Lift air is captured in a flexible fabric skirt, causing the craft to hover above the surface. Thrust air is directed backward to move the craft forward.

On June 15, McElfresh and Assistant Fire Chief Mitch Noelker received training on the Wabash River and returned late that night. Three hours later, the hovercraft was dispatched to its first rescue.

Since then, the department has used the four-seated craft to conduct 11 rescues involving 14 people, McElfresh said.

Brownstown Volunteer Fire Department Chief Travis McElfresh drives the department's new hovercraft during a rescue of a man June 19. Volunteer firefighter Clayton Keithley is pictured in the back of the craft.

Those numbers earned them recognition from Neoteric in a post on the company’s blog.

“In Neoteric’s more than half a century in business, never has a fire department gone immediately from hovercraft flight training to performing a series of successful high-risk floodwater rescues,” the company wrote in its post.

The department had been considering purchasing a water rescue craft in the last year because of the number of water rescues in the area, McElfresh said. Between Jan. 1 and June 18, Jackson County had 55 calls for water rescues with nearly a third of them since June 1. There also was a high number reported during a recent span when the county received 8.24 inches of rain in seven days.

When a group from the department attended the fire convention show in April, they found the Neoteric, which was demonstrated for them on floodwaters afterward.

After discussions with the fire board, which controls the department’s budget, the department moved forward with the $40,000 purchase. McElfresh said the department kept in mind what other resources were available throughout the county, which is why they settled on a hovercraft.

“The sheriff’s department has a johnboat, conservation has an airboat, so we decided to get a hovercraft,” he said. “All three of them can do different things. The johnboat can go places the airboat can’t. This can go where it can’t, vice versa. We didn’t want to double up on resources in the county.”

Its versatility is what made the hovercraft a game-changer for water rescues, McElfresh said. “It can run over mud, dry land, the road, on water and swift water,” he said.

When flying over land, there’s a 9-inch clearance. “If you come over a 9-inch log laying in a field, you just cruise over it like it wasn’t even there,” McElfresh said.

The craft also has the capability to go in reverse, which is not an option with an airboat. It also can turn 180 and 360 degrees. “When you’re pulling up to a vehicle, it makes it pretty easy,” McElfresh said.

During a recent rescue, a man was walking through floodwaters. McElfresh said the man was about 4 feet away from walking through swift-moving water. First responders told the man to stay put, and McElfresh was able to work the craft to the side until they could safely rescue him. “We were able to get right up against him and pull him up,” he said.

The greatest benefit might be its role in assisting with rescues on ice. The craft will allow crews to make a rescue without putting weight on the ice. “You’re hovering on air and move on the ice without busting it up,” McElfresh said.

The Brownstown Fire Department’s new hovercraft is pictured outside the department.

So far, McElfresh and Noelker have received training to operate the hovercraft. McElfresh said once they get more hours behind the bars and get more comfortable, four others at the department will receive training.

The group also joined Project H.E.R.O., which stands for Hovercraft Emergency Response Operations, a nonprofit that serves during natural disasters. The department will receive additional training through that organization.

“We’ll do joint training on the Wabash River,” McElfresh said.

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Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

"Perilous rescue shows need for hovercraft, firefighters say"

The article below from the Bellevue Leader in Nebraska is worth attention from fire departments everywhere.

The city of Bellevue and surrounding areas have dealt with extreme flooding multiple times in the last decade. And those areas are not alone. The fastest growing and most costly natural disaster is devastating floods. The National Weather Service, which has kept records for 124 years, reports that there has never been a wetter 12 months than the period that recently ended. And every reporting agency predicts, “The frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events are projected to continue to increase over the 21^st century."

The Bellevue article shows that 'where there's a will, there's a way' and may help your department prepare for faster, safer and more frequent flood, ice and water rescues. And, with a hovercraft, you'll never have to worry about damage to propellers or to traditional rescue boats. As our customers report ... 

 "The hovercraft gets us into areas that before we weren't able to reach, areas that our jet boat can't get into because we ingest debris into the impeller." ~ Central Fraser Valley Search & Rescue Society, Canada

“It’s awesome being able to operate in deep and shallow flood water without having to worry about destroying a motor or a boat.” ~ Council Bluffs Fire Department, Iowa

“Regardless of the weather, our hovercraft can fly over water, ice, mud, sand, grass or wetlands, allowing us to get to those places you can’t reach either by boat or by foot. It can save people under the most difficult conditions that prevent the use of a helicopter.” ~ WOPR, Poland 

“The benefit of having the hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. It can also hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats, that could be a hazard in the water. A hovercraft is the answer to a faster rescue – a safer rescue.” ~ Mansfield Fire Department, Texas

Perilous rescue shows need for hovercraft, firefighters say

By Eugene Curtin Associate Editor

Mar 27, 2019

“The craft the Bellevue Fire Department hopes to buy is a six-passenger Hovertrek Rescue Deluxe offered by Neoteric Hovercraft of Terre Haute, Indiana.”

The sight of firefighters trying to rescue a flood-stranded resident in a paddle boat was just too much for members of the Bellevue Fire Department.

“We were contacted,” said Bonnie Knutson, president of the nonprofit Bellevue Public Safety Foundation. “We sent it out to the board and the board said, ‘Yep, let’s do it.’” She said the board agreed to help raise the money to purchase and fully equip a hovercraft that can be used to rescue persons stranded in floods or icy rivers and streams.

The Bellevue Fire Department hopes to buy a six-person hovercraft similar to the one pictured above, which belongs to the Council Bluffs Fire Department and was on display March 20 at Bellevue’s District 1 fire station.
Photo by Eugene Curtin

The foundation was contacted after two firefighters paddled to the rescue of an 85-year-old man in the Sands Trailer Park south of LaPlatte.

Firefighter George Lee, one of the two firefighters, said they responded to a 911 call from a man who ignored orders to evacuate and decided to ride the flood out. When they arrived on the scene, Lee said, a civilian let them borrow a paddle boat and oars, and out they paddled. Lee said the rescue took about 25 minutes.

Bellevue Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe Gibilisco, who is also a board member of the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation, said during a March 20 press conference at the District 1 fire station that firefighters should not have to risk their lives in such flimsy equipment.

“The only thing they had was a private person’s paddle boat and a couple of oars,” Gibilisco said. He said the department’s flat-bottomed boats are suitable for river rescues where the water is deep and outboard engines can function without getting stuck in a river bed, but they cannot be deployed in the shallow waters of a typical flood.

“Right now we don’t have a feasible means to do that,” he said. “With those hovercraft we believe that we will.” Gibilisco said the hovercraft will be made available for water rescue missions around the region and would not be restricted to Bellevue.

Justin James, Chief of the Council Bluffs Fire Department, traveled to Bellevue with his department’s hovercraft in tow. The hovercraft is very similar to the one Bellevue hopes to purchase.

James said Council Bluffs bought its hovercraft some years ago after losing a resident during an ice rescue where hovercraft response might have made a difference.

The craft the Bellevue Fire Department hopes to buy is a six-passenger Hovertrek Rescue Deluxe offered by Neoteric Hovercraft of Terre Haute, Indiana.

Knutson said the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation has kicked off the campaign with a $5,000 donation and will donate the proceeds of Friday’s Supper fundraiser to be held 5 to 8 p.m. at the Bellevue Firefighters Hall, 2108 Franklin St.

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Neoteric Hovercraft in flood rescues ...

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Neoteric Hovercraft Rescues Texas Flood Victims

A rash of tornadoes and thunderstorms battered Texas and Arkansas last Sunday, leaving a path of destruction that caused five deaths and dozens of injuries.

Mansfield, Texas was one of many communities where torrential rains led to widespread flash flooding. Fortunately, the Mansfield Fire Department operates a Neoteric rescue hovercraft, which was used to successfully rescue victims whose vehicles were fully submerged in floodwaters …

Hovercraft are extremely effective in flood rescue operations because they can access areas that boats and other rescue vehicles can't reach. Flat bottom Jon boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of little use in shallow water or in flood water; debris and obstructions can not only damage rescue boats, but can pose a serious danger to first responders and to those whose lives they are tasked to save.

As Mansfield’s Captain William Franks says about their hovercraft, shown below, “The benefit of having the hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. It can also hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats, that could be a hazard in the water. A hovercraft is the answer to a faster rescue – a safer rescue.”

Unlike other vehicles, hovercraft fly on a cushion of air 9 inches above the surface, so they simply glide over swift flowing, debris-filled floodwaters. And, unlike other hovercraft, the Neoteric Hovertrek's patented reverse thrust system gives it the unique capability to brake, back up and hover in place - maneuvers that are critical in flood rescues.

First responders, it's easy to experience for yourself how a Neoteric hovercraft can operate in conditions that prohibit the use of rescue boats - keeping you above the danger, not in it ...

Take a Test Flight or Training Course

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Read what other first responders say about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...