Our Mission and Vision -

All of us at the AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition believe deeply in our mission, which is to provide emergency response, search and rescue, and assessment capabilities in the form of air support when lives or property are threatened by man-made or natural disasters and/or acts of terrorism. Our mission is further defined in our Vision Statement:

"AIR-ONE is a not-for-profit, charitable organization comprised of dedicated public service volunteers who share common values with a goal of enhancing public safety and the safety of all first responders, including emergency management personnel, peace officers and fire fighters throughout the region. Our vision brings together decades of aviation, emergency management, law enforcement and fire fighting experience to provide on-call air support to all agencies large and small. Our vision includes assisting the agencies who operate specially equipped helicopters staffed by highly trained and experienced pilots, tactical flight officers and air rescue specialists. All AIR-ONE personnel stand at-the-ready to respond to natural and man-made disasters and incidents of lost persons, felonies in progress and major fires. AIR-ONE also supports the protection of our homeland's security through counter-terrorism efforts."

Our History -

Our mission began in 2003 with a privately owned Eurocopter EC135 helicopter. This aircraft was made available at no cost to the Winthrop Harbor (IL) Police Department (WHPD) for law enforcement operations. With the blessing of the Winthrop Harbor Mayor and Village Board of Trustees, a program was created to reach out and offer this service to other agencies, without cost to requesting agencies or Winthrop Harbor taxpayers.

Experienced pilots and tactical flight officers from various Police and Sheriff Departments came together and trained tirelessly, all as volunteers, to provide this much needed service. These volunteers responded to countless call-outs for air support, including searching for lost persons, assisting with felonies in progress, and life-saving rescues over Lake Michigan and in New Orleans.

The Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition, Inc. (LEAC) was incorporated in 2005 as a not-for-profit, 501(c)3, charitable organization, for the purpose of assisting in the operation of the service.

Plans were soon underway to obtain surplus helicopters through a U.S. Department of Defense program , and to fulfill the vision of making this service available at no-cost to as many law enforcement and fire/rescue agencies as possible. Through the hard work and dedication of our Board of Directors, and the Illinois Law Enforcement Support Office, three Bell OH-58 (Kiowa) and one Bell UH-1V (Huey) surplus Army helicopters have been obtained by Illinois law enforcement agencies. One Bell HH-1N (twin-engine Huey) has been obtained by a Wisconsin law enforcement agency.

With the assistance of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System and many other resources, we are refurbishing and equipping these helicopters to realize the vision.

In September of 2011, our not-for-profit organization name changed to AIR-ONE Emergency Response Coalition, Inc. to more clearly define our affiliation with all 1st responder organizations.

Please visit the Aircraft, Crew and Support sections of this web site to learn more.