Northville Township firefighters will train alongside a Black Hawk helicopter and a Survival Flight chopper at Millennium Park on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The exercise marks the first time the Northville Township Fire Department has trained with the Michigan Army National Guard. A University of Michigan Survival Flight helicopter will also participate, making it a three-agency drill focused on large-scale emergency coordination.

The parking lot at the park, 45769 Six Mile Road, will be closed from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. The park stays open on foot, with overflow parking along the driveway side of Fire Station 1. Unity Skatepark will close temporarily during takeoffs and landings because rotor wash kicks up debris.

The public can watch from designated viewing areas. The best window is 10 a.m. to noon, according to the township.

Firefighter/paramedics will practice patient transfers, communications and landing-zone operations while learning each agency's procedures. The goal is to sharpen coordination for emergencies such as a tornado or mass-casualty incident, when multiple agencies and specialized resources may be called upon simultaneously.

"When something significant happens, no department handles it alone," EMS Coordinator William Caruso said. "Training together now means we have a better understanding of one another's capabilities before we meet under much more difficult circumstances."

The exercise grew out of a conversation between Caruso and Northville Township Firefighter/Paramedic Rob Casamatta, who also serves as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 and medevac pilot with the Michigan Army National Guard. Casamatta will fly the Black Hawk on Wednesday. His own Guard unit is participating.

Casamatta spent roughly a decade in the Marine Corps as a Scout Sniper before transitioning into military aviation. A Black Hawk can carry up to six patients at once, giving the Guard the ability to move multiple casualties simultaneously.

The township's last joint exercise with Survival Flight was about eight years ago. U-M Health's Survival Flight operates around the clock, transporting critically ill or injured patients to advanced-care facilities across Michigan. Its flight nurses are dual-licensed as nurses and paramedics.

Northville Township Supervisor Mark J. Abbo said the Board of Trustees is committed to supporting the department's readiness. Northville Township said it was also reaching out to fire departments from the City of Northville and Plymouth Township about participating in the exercise.

Spectators should stay well clear of the aircraft during takeoffs and landings. The township noted that one or more teams could be called away for an actual emergency, which could change the scope of the training or end it early.