On July 19, 2018, the Hayward Police Department’s Special Response Unit had the opportunity, for the first time ever, to conduct training for helicopter rescue operations and marshalling at Meridian Hayward.
The HWD SRU musters for briefing, surrounding a California Highway Patrol A350 Eurocopter.
The unit was aided by a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin Eurocopter, specially designed for rescue operations, and a CHP (California Highway Patrol) A350 Eurocopter.
Hayward SRU member being lowered from a USCG HH-65 Dolphin Eurocopter.
General Manager, Carlos Rodriguez, extended the invitation to return for any additional training the SRU may require: “It’s important to support the community and to give back, in any way we can, to those that protect it. We’re happy to have been able to help the Hayward Police Department and thank them for everything they do!”
A Hayward SRU Officer sets a CHP A350 Eurocopter down outside the Meridian Hayward hangar.
Meridian is excited to have been able to assist the Hayward Police Department train for such a vital task and hopes to continue supporting the local communities surrounding all of our FBOs.
Tiny Tina receives a warm welcome at Meridian.
Last week, a plane with some very special passengers onboard landed at Meridian Teterboro. If you like puppies (and really, who doesn’t like puppies?), then you would have been in for a big treat if you were here at our FBO. A charter flight filled with crates of puppies of all breeds landed at our facility from California. The trip was organized by “Saving Gizmo’s Friends”, a dog rescue foundation that takes dogs from the kill shelters in Los Angeles, and transports them to humane societies, rescue shelters, and non-kill shelters in other cities.
In New York, the organization works with the North Shore Animal Shelter as well as another local rescue group. Saving Gizmo’s Friends comes to the New York area quite often, and they bring as many dogs as they possibly can. On the last trip, they arrived with over 25 dogs who were already pre-adopted or going to foster homes.
The dogs are often transported on business jets because most of them are too small to fly in the cargo compartments of commercial airlines, especially in freezing temperatures. The difficulty for this group is twofold: not only do they need to rescue the dogs from these shelters, but they must also seek out charter flights or jet owners that would be willing to help transport these animals.
They have flown as few as two crates all the way up to 20 or 30 crates at a time, either on an empty leg or using whatever extra space they have available on trips to New York. There is high demand for small dogs on the East Coast, yet an overpopulation of them on the West Coast, especially among chihuahuas. If they are not rescued, most of these dogs are put to sleep due to overcrowding.
The website for the organization is currently under construction, but Saving Gizmo’s Friends mission statement reads: “SAVING GIZMO’S FRIENDS is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving at-risk dogs from high-kill city and county shelters in the Greater Los Angeles area. After all their veterinary needs are met, the dogs are transported to Humane Societies, independent rescuer groups, and shelter’s in other States, that have met our standards and approval.
Although we are currently able to help mostly small to medium breeds, we occasionally take larger breeds too. We do not discriminate against age, sex or medical needs. We help dogs in all kinds of medical conditions and keep them at our foster homes until they are healthy to be transported.
We are also dedicated to improving the conditions of the shelters for animals by donating beds, blankets, heating/cooling systems for their facilities.
Our goal is to give a second chance to as many four-pawed friends as we can with the help of our supporters”.
If you are interested in supporting Saving Gizmo’s Friends, please contact Berna at 323-252-2046. Puppies on their way to happy homes in the New York Metro area.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.