Attention: First Responders attending #FDIC2022

Does your department still depend on ropes, boats, divers, etc. for water, ice and mud and snow rescues? If so, you’ll definitely want to come to FDIC Outdoor Demo Booth 19403 this Thursday through Saturday to experience a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action and see first-hand how it will vastly improve the safety, ease, speed and success of your rescue operations.

Flat bottom Jon boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of questionable use in shallow water, swift water, flood, ice and mud rescues; they can pose a serious danger to you and to the lives you’re tasked to save. But a Neoteric hovercraft flies 9 inches above any surface, keeping you above the danger – not in it. It quickly takes you into areas where no other vehicle can go, and it’s the only hovercraft with the ability to brake, back up, and fly in reverse – critical capacities in rescue operations.

But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what just one of your fellow fire departments has to say about their Neoteric rescue hovercraft …

Neoteric is once again honored to be the only hovercraft exhibitor at the Fire Department Instructors Conference. That isn’t surprising, since Neoteric is the world’s original light hovercraft manufacturer, in business for more than 60 years, with customers in 50+ nations around the world.

Just as FDIC International is a one-of-a-kind experience, so will be your visit to Neoteric Hovercraft Outdoor Demo Booth 19403 this Thursday through Saturday at the FDIC. Don’t miss this chance to learn what a Neoteric Hovercraft can do for you – and to meet Neoteric Hovercraft Founder/President Chris Fitzgerald in person. You’ll never meet anyone who knows more about rescue hovercraft, and he’s eager to answer all your questions!

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

#FDIC 2021 Features a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action

Firefighters, does your department still rely on ropes, divers, boats and other apparatus for water, ice and mud rescues? Come to FDIC Outdoor Demo Booth 19302 this Thursday through Saturday to experience a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action and see first-hand how it will vastly improve the safety, ease, speed and success of your rescue operations.

Here's one example why first responders prefer hovercraft to other rescue vehicles. In this video, after first responders fail to rescue a stranded family using traditional rescue boats, a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft does the job - and also rescues the rescuers!

Flat bottom boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of questionable use in shallow water, swift water, flood, ice and mud rescues, and can pose a serious danger to you and to the lives you’re tasked to save. 

But hovercraft fly 9 inches above the surface - keeping passengers above the danger, not in it - and are constructed so that neither the propellers nor any other part of the craft can strike a submerged object. 

Here's how some of your fellow first responders around the world compare their Neoteric Hovercraft to other rescue vehicles …

Central Fraser Valley Search & Rescue, Canada:

"Our Neoteric 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. And the hovercraft saves us a lot of time."

Mansfield Fire Department, Texas USA:

“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.” 

WOPR, a national water rescue organization in Poland:

“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. This machine can save people under the most difficult conditions that prevent the use of a helicopter.”

Somervell County Fire Department, Texas USA:

"Our Neoteric hovercraft is very useful for our river rescues when the water moves from too shallow to deep. It hovers 9 inches above the surface so swift water and hidden obstacles don’t affect it. The advantage of the hovercraft is that it can hover in fast, rough water and operate on land, shallow and deep water."

Put Outdoor Demo Booth 19302 on your FDIC priority list and don't miss the chance to see for yourself how Neoteric Hovercraft outperform other rescue apparatus.

Founded in 1960, Neoteric is the most experienced light hovercraft manufacturer in the world, with clientele in 50+ nations. Our innovative reverse thrust system patented worldwide, makes the Neoteric Hovercraft the only hovercraft that can brake and back up - critical in rescue operations.

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

IN THE NEWS: Oak Island Water Rescue Team's new Neoteric Hovercraft

The State Port Pilot
Southport, North Carolina

By Lee Hinnant, Jan. 20, 2021

Oak Island Water Rescue has acquired a hovercraft specially designed for use by emergency responders.

The department is now among the few in the Southeast with such a tool. Made by Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. of Terre Haute, Indiana, the craft weighs a mere 480 pounds but can lift a payload of 800 pounds, said Tony Young, Water Rescue Chief. Responders hope it will be of service when someone gets in trouble in the area’s numerous marshes. In the past, responders have struggled to reach stranded kayakers using a jon boat. In one instance, it took the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office airboat to get to victims grounded on the mud flats and surrounded by beds of sharp-shelled oysters.

 “The beauty of this is that you can go from the marsh to the beach,” Young said. “It’s the next best thing to having a helicopter.”

The hovercraft uses one-third of its power to lift the craft; the rest provides thrust. Powered by a German-made two-stroke motor designed for small airplanes, the hovercraft has only 65-horsepower but can go as fast as 60 mph under ideal conditions, such as on ice.

“What makes this unique for rescue is that it has thrust reversers to stop, spin around or go backwards,” Young said.

The specialized skirts around the edges of the hovercraft hold it on a cushion of air. The skirts must be maintained and kept clean to work at their best.

It takes at least 30 hours of training to learn to pilot the hovercraft. Simple actions, such as leaning too far one way or sticking an arm out while under power can affect the sensitive steering. “It’s tricky,” Young said. “It’s not like driving a boat. We’re taking bets on who puts the first scratch on it.”

Young said an anonymous donor contributed the $60,000 needed for the hovercraft. The same donor also made a substantial contribution toward repairing the station from the damage caused by Hurricane Isaias last August.

Work on the station has slowed and Water Rescue is discussing the possibility of adding a second floor for offices and using the downstairs portion as a garage and workshop. Members expect to have a contractor on the job by next month.

With the support from the community, the Town of Oak Island and Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. the team was also able to replace an aging surf boat with a newer, slightly larger model with a tougher aluminum hull.

The storm took a toll on the station, but members said they’re building back better than ever, with a lot of help from donors.

“The community really came together to support us,” said team member Melissa Wilson. “The storm was a blessing in disguise.”

 #

Learn more about Neoteric Hovercraft ...

Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft excel in Homeland Security exercise

Last week, three Neoteric rescue hovercraft were featured in a major Indiana Department of Homeland Security flood rescue exercise, attended by the Directors of numerous Emergency Management Agencies.

The attendees expressed great surprise at how fast Neoteric hovercraft can maneuver and perform water and flood rescues. After all, Neoteric craft can safely and successfully complete these rescues in a quarter of the time it would take with boats!  

The event took place at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex in southern Indiana, the Department of Defense’s largest urban training facility – and immediately appeared as the cover story in the IDHS publication, The Hoosier Responder …

Neoteric Vice President Steve Stafford arranged for the hovercraft to perform in the exercise. Stafford is also a Captain with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department and the founder of Project H.E.R.O. (Hovercraft Emergency Response Operations), a non-profit organization that uses Neoteric hovercraft to assist rescue and law enforcement agencies in search and rescue missions.

Along with Steve and Susie Stafford with their Project H.E.R.O. hovercraft, other participants included Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald with a Neoteric flight training hovercraft and first responders from the White River Hazleton Fire Department with their Neoteric rescue hovercraft.

Fire Chief Mark Ellis came to the exercise already impressed with the performance of his department’s hovercraft. As he says, “Our hovercraft can go right over a log, rocky shallow waters, sand, mud, you name it.”

The Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex is used for a variety of training scenarios by a multitude of civilian and military organizations, both foreign and domestic. The 974-acre site offers a globally unique urban and rural multi-domain environment that includes a 180-acre reservoir and more than 120 structures. As described on its website, the facility is “As Real As It Gets.”

As for the Neoteric rescue hovercraft, as this exercise demonstrated, when it comes to water rescue vehicles, they’re as fast, safe and effective as it gets!

Enjoy these few photos of the training exercise, then don’t miss the full gallery …

The attendees playing the roles of victims take their places on the submerged structures
at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex.

The three Neoteric hovercraft prepare to launch and perform flood rescue exercises.

Steve Stafford pilots his Project H.E.R.O. Neoteric rescue hovercraft.

White River Hazleton Fire Department's Neoteric hovercraft performs a water rescue.

First responders:

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft …

Hurricane Harvey: Hovercraft built in Terre Haute at work in Texas

Terre Haute Tribune-Star

September 2, 2017

By Howard Greninger

Fire chief: Hovercraft are ‘perfect tool for this kind of situation’

An amphibious craft built in Terre Haute is helping to rescue flood victims of Hurricane Harvey in parts of Texas.

           

Mansfield Fire-Rescue, located near Dallas, was deployed Wednesday to Port Arthur, just south of Beaumont, Texas, to use a Neoteric Hovercraft.

“We have made over 40 rescues with the hovercraft in the Mansfield incorporated area since we got the hovercraft about four years ago and, since Wednesday, have made 15 to 20 rescues in the Port Arthur area,” said Mansfield Battalion Chief Jeff Smith.

It’s the first statewide deployment for Mansfield Fire-Rescue, located about 316 miles from Port Arthur, Smith said.

Chris Fitzgerald, president of Neoteric Hovercraft Inc., stands next to a hovercraft
his company is making for the Indonesian Police Force. Photo: Tribune-Star/Austen Leake

      

The department initially deployed four firefighters on Aug. 24 to serve in ambulance crews to evacuate hospitals and nursing homes in Corpus Christi, about 395 miles away, and in Victoria, about 278 miles from Mansfield, Smith said.

           

When flooding hammered Port Arthur, three swift water rescue technicians from the department took the call for aid to Port Arthur.

           

“I talked to the guys there and they said most of the rescue crews have flat bottom boats with propellers. But when you get into 2 feet of water, most people being rescued had to walk 100 to 200 yards to dry land,” Smith said.

           

“In the hovercraft, we can go right up to their door, get them out and take them up onto dry land,” he said.

           

“It is the perfect tool for urban flooding, as you can go from grass to mud to water to dry streets without any problem,” Smith said. “Most of the flooding we deal with is street flooding from creeks and rivers. A hovercraft doesn’t make a wake, so it is the perfect tool for this kind of situation. It makes a rescue faster and easier.”

A hovercraft is an amphibious vehicle that is supported by a cushion of slightly pressurized air and is capable of traveling over land, water, mud, ice and other surfaces. Hovercraft float on a cushion of air that has been forced under the craft by a fan. This causes the craft to rise or lift. The amount of lift can range from 6 inches to 108 inches, according to Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.

           

Smith said Mansfield Fire-Rescue bought the hovercraft in Terre Haute about four years ago and underwent training at the Terre Haute firm. The driver, or pilot, then undergoes another 10 hours of “flight time” to be certified to operate the hovercraft by the department, Smith said.

           

Another agency — Somervell County Volunteer Fire Department, in Glen Rose Texas — saw the hovercraft in action and decided to buy one, Smith said. Mansfield and Somervell County each manned hovercrafts for rescues from Hurricane Harvey, Smith said.

           

“Those fire departments have been using our craft for quite a long time,” said Chris Fitzgerald, president of Neoteric Hovercraft Inc., a company that moved its manufacturing and offices to Terre Haute in 1976.

           

“The real tragedy is there should be thousands of hovercraft for these rescues. They can do so much more than other vehicles and fill the gap in amphibious transport, as hovercraft can operate in fast-flowing water, in water full of debris or in shallow water, places where boats have a problem,” Fitzgerald said.

           

Fitzgerald said he knew the Texas fire departments were gearing up as the departments last week began asking for technical support or spare parts for hovercraft.

           

“All of those are our craft. It is difficult to get excited as we have been in these situations for many years. Even when Katrina hit, we had craft operating and in a mud slide in Oregon a few years ago,” he said. “We are sorry to see these tragedies, but with global warming, we will see a lot more, unfortunately.”

           

In addition to rescues, a hovercraft can also be used to collect information, Fitzgerald said, which can be used by emergency command officials.

           

Hovercraft can be used to assess impacted areas, discover what is needed, such as medications, and how many people are affected. The hovercraft can then be used to bring medicines and supplies to areas or transport those in need of evacuation or medical attention, Fitzgerald said.

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

Neoteric Hovercraft helps Poland celebrate National Rescuers Day

June 29 is National Rescuers Day in Poland. What perfect timing that WOPR christened and launched their new Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in Szczecin, Poland right before National Rescuers Day. Their hovercraft was purchased from Neoteric’s dealer in Poland, Tecnotek Polska, and has been named "Lifeguard 200." It is the first rescue hovercraft in Szczecin and in the region.

WOPR is an acronym for Wodne Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe, which translates to “water rescue teams and lifeguards” in English. An important nationwide organization that specializes in water rescue operations, WOPR is a member of the International Lifesaving Federation.

As always, any Neoteric Hovercraft is a media magnet, and the WOPR hovercraft is no exception - its launch attracted heavy media coverage. Here’s just one example ...

The gathering of rescuers told the media, “This Neoteric hovercraft is one of the modern rescue vehicles on the Polish market. It rises to 30 cm from the surface and is able to move on both land and water. This machine can save people under the most difficult weather conditions that prevent the use of a helicopter.”

WOPR's Jason Kleczaj said, "Regardless of the weather, our new 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."

Miroslaw Gosieniecki, Vice President of Szczecin WOPR, added, "It will allow us to save people even in winter, when water reservoirs are on ice or floe. Until now, our rescuers did not have equipment that would enable them to act in such circumstances."

A mock rescue was performed at the event in order to exhibit
the exceptional amphibious maneuverability of the Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft.

"This is the first unit of this class in Szczecin," said Mayor Piotr Krzystek. "It will be used not only in summer but mainly in winter, when access to water in traditional ways is impossible, and accidents happen even so."

In closing, he added, "We have to take care of safety on the water, because it is after all, a big part of our city. I wish you well use of your equipment and that your help always arrives in time."

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

Drone Video: Neoteric Hovercraft Searches for Texas Flood Victims

Check out the drone video of Mansfield Fire Department’s rescue HoverTrek™ searching for victims during the recent Texas flooding. Without the extreme maneuverability of Neoteric’s reverse thrust, any other hovercraft - or any other rescue vehicle - would not be able to navigate on turbulent floodwater in such tight spots ...

Full story, with photos ...

Learn more about Neoteric's revolutionary reverse thrust system ...

Why do first responders prefer hovercraft to rescue boats?

With warmer weather ahead, first responders will soon be occupied with water and flood rescues. Unfortunately, too many fire departments and other rescue agencies are still relying on boats rather than hovercraft for water rescue operations.

Why would they need a hovercraft if they already have rescue boats? Here’s a quick video that helps answer that question. The Napoleon, Ohio Fire Department’s Neoteric hovercraft rescues not only a family stuck in a boat on the Maumee River – they also rescue the first responders whose boats became stuck or damaged in the shallow water!

The river was too shallow for the first rescue boat and it became stuck; the rocks clipped the propellers of the second rescue boat - turning this simple rescue into a three-hour ordeal.

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.

But don't just take our word for it. Read what just a few of our customers have to say about hovercraft versus rescue boats ...

Norman Township Fire Department, Michigan: "We perform water and ice rescues on the rapidly running, narrow, difficult to access Pine River, with rocks, downed trees and steep banks. We considered purchasing a jet boat, but its problems were quickly apparent when, during the company demo, rocks in the river caused the jet boat to break down."

Central Fraser Valley Search & Rescue Society, Canada: "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. And the hovercraft saves us a lot of time."

Mansfield Fire Department, Texas: "The benefit of having these hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. They're also able to hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats, that could be a hazard in the water."

Roswell Fire Department, Georgia: "On low water, our aluminum boat can only go so far. With the hovercraft, we can travel over rocks, shallow water, sandbars."

Snohomish County Fire District 19, Washington: "At the bridge collapse, there was a lot of debris in the water. Boats weren't able to get into the wreckage, but we were able to hover back and forth through the debris and search for victims. We don't have to worry about what's underneath us."

First responders, come experience for yourself how a 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 

and

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft

Fire Rescue in Poland impressed by Neoteric Hovercraft

Our dealer in Poland, Michal Przybylski of Tecnotek Polska, is proactively demonstrating the value of the Neoteric Rescue HoverTrek™ in rescue missions to Fire Rescue departments across Poland – and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Here, Michal exhibits the HoverTrek’s capabilities to Fire Rescue (STRAZ) agencies in Bytom, located in southern Poland …

Even before the Tecnotek Polska’s Neoteric Rescue hovercraft is in action, it attracts attention while still on its trailer …

Tecnotek Polska’s 6-passenger Neoteric Rescue HoverTrek™ …

Michal launches the hovercraft to display it in action as an audience gathers …

Of special interest to the first responders was the HoverTrek’s reverse thrust, which allows it to brake, fly backwards and hover in place – making it an exceptional ice and water rescue vehicle …

After seeing the Neoteric hovercraft in action, Fire Rescue officials were eager to get on board and experience a flight of their own …

Michel launches with a first responder on board …

The first responder experiences the unique maneuverability of the Neoteric hovercraft, made possible by its patented reverse thrust system ...

The demo gave first responders a hands-on opportunity to experience how the Neoteric hovercraft outperforms other rescue vehicles …

As always, a Neoteric hovercraft in action draws a large audience …

Michal reports that the feedback he received from this demo is “incredible.” Officials were extremely impressed by the hovercraft’s capabilities, and the attending Fire Rescue departments are in the process of writing grants to help them boost their search and rescue capabilities by purchasing a Neoteric Rescue HoverTrek™.

 See Tecnotek Polska practice ice rescue techniques with Poland Fire Rescue …

..........

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Prairieton Fire Department Rescue Hovercraft

The Prairieton, Indiana Fire Department has taken ownership of the Neoteric rescue hovercraft formerly employed by the Vigo County Emergency Management Agency in Terre Haute, Indiana. As Dick Setleff, former Emergency Management director said, “It’s about the price of a good motorcycle, and that’s nothing if you can use it to save just one life.”

First responders David Phelps and Ben Cottrell are eager to use the craft for water and ice rescue operations. “There’s a lot of flooding in our area; we’ve rescued a lot of people from stranded vehicles and flooded homes. We’ve had a lot of ice rescues, too,” says Phelps.

Phelps, a 50-year veteran of the Prairieton Fire Department, says, “I’ve known about Neoteric for a long time. And Vigo County Emergency Management used their hovercraft in our area quite a few times. Then we had an opportunity to buy it.”

Cottrell adds, “It has the advantage of going anywhere you want to go. The reverse thrust buckets, those are really nice in maneuvering sideways and going around in circles.”

But buying the rescue hovercraft was just the first step. The very next step was to enroll in a Hovercraft Training Centers pilot and maintenance course. “We had an opportunity to use it on a water rescue, but I opted to wait until we get our training. We want to be sure we know how to do everything properly and not hurt anyone – including ourselves.”

Ben Cottrell (left) and David Phelps (right) receive their hovercraft pilot certifications from Chris Fitzgerald (center). 
See photos of their flight training …

Learn more about Neoteric rescue hovercraft

Take an HTC Test Flight or Training Course

Neoteric Hovercraft Patrols Flood Waters in Washington USA

As KING 5 Television reports, the only sound in Silvana, Washington on Thanksgiving night was the sound of the fire department's Neoteric Hovercraft patrolling for those cut off by floodwaters ...

This is not the first time the Neoteric Hovertrek has been a lifesaver in Washington state flood rescue operations. In 2006, Neoteric hovercraft rescued hundreds of flood victims, plucking them from trees and homes surrounded by fast-moving water filled with flood debris. And again in 2010, their hovercraft were the calm in the storm during devastating flooding in Granite City.

Hovercraft are extremely effective in flood rescue operations because they can access areas that boats and other rescue vehicles can't reach. 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, hover in place - maneuvers that are critical in flood rescues.

See photos of Fire District 19's hovercraft pilot training 

Neoteric Hovercraft in the news

Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Indiana USA
25 June 2011

Hovercraft training brings Utah rescue unit to Fairbanks Park
Local company trains agencies worldwide

TERRE HAUTE - Neither boat nor helicopter, it was something in between that danced about the Wabash River this past week. “We always have questions,” Chris Fitzgerald chuckled near the Fairbanks Park boat ramp as a driver pulled up to inspect his hovercraft.

Fitzgerald and U.S. Air Force personnel from the Utah Test and Training Range at Hill Air Force Base spent the week training on a new 4-seat unit the military will use there.As base firefighters and emergency responders, the group uses hovercraft such as Fitzgerald’s in water rescues. Among those training this week was Capt. Cory Lingelbach who, in May of 2006, used one to rescue a downed F-16 pilot who had crashed off the Great Salt Lake.

 Turn here: Chris Fitzgerald and Cory Lingelbach head upriver

for a training exercise Friday evening. Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis 

Fitzgerald’s company, Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc., designs and manufactures light hovercraft for clientele in 50 nations. The products range from emergency rescue models to recreational. Lingelbach said Fitzgerald has been working with their department since before 2005.

“I came to Terre Haute in ’76,” Fitzgerald said Friday afternoon as the military firefighters hooked the vehicles to the back of trucks. “That’s when I started the business here.” Today the company sells about 60 units a year to groups ranging from American to Russian, African and Swedish. “The most obscure places,” Fitzgerald remarked.

In addition to manufacturing the hovercraft, Fitzgerald also trains personnel on maintenance and operations. The model being used this week was a four-seat hovercraft designed to carry about 800 pounds in weight, he said. If the hovercraft is used on ice, the load can be increased to about 1,200 pounds.

The vehicle rides on “a bubble of air” and tops out between 55 and 60 miles per hour, he added. “They almost turn ice rescues into a recreational activity,” he said, adding the vehicles are extremely safe on ice as well as fast water. Boats, on the other hand, have trouble on both.
 
But energy efficiency was one of the earliest reasons for their usage, he said, explaining the four-seat hovercraft trained on this week is about 30 percent more efficient than an airboat. The German-made Hirth engine inside it runs on gasoline, and is comparable to the engine in an ultralight aircraft. “Diesel engines tend to be too heavy,” he explained.

The new model being taken back to Utah contains a 100-horsepower engine compared to its predecessor, which had 65 horsepower, but the craft itself is slightly smaller. Lingelbach said the difference in size and horsepower will allow the department to do at half-speed what it used to do at full throttle.

Thursday, the group stayed out until 11:30 p.m. simulating night water rescues and victim retrieval. They also cruised up the river to Clinton to let personnel get used to the feel. 

Lt. Jonathan Jimenez and Lt. Derek Martinez said this exercise in Terre Haute was their first chance to get the craft in the water. Both men returned from deployments to Iraq in 2009, and they knew the story of Lingelbach and the F-16 rescue.

“Good experience. Good training,” Martinez said. “I learned a lot.”