BEAUMONT, Texas — Game wardens believe a new addition to the Texas Parks and Wildlife fleet will help them save those in need during severe weather events.
Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens got a new airboat. The machine will be used for the next 30 years and has all the life-saving tools emergency responders may need when a hurricane hits.
The airboat is the most powerful piece of machinery game wardens have on hand. It will be operated by wardens to enforce water safety and to perform search and rescues missions.
The boat makes it easier for crews to travel on the marshes of Southeast Texas.
"We use it from wildlife patrol, to first responding events such as hurricane rescue,” Game Warden Raj Ataya said.
Ataya has been a game warden for the last six years. He believes the addition of the airboat will help their division as he trains them to handle the boat.
The new addition to their fleet would not be possible without the Sabine pilots. They donated funds to help wardens purchase the new and improved equipment.
Wardens feel the boats will be especially important when there is flooding during a storm. Captain Ryan Hall is proud to add the new boat to his fleet.
"A new airboat is something that we really need," Captain Hall said. "They were gracious enough to help us with this. We assist the coast guard every year going out to fix the navigational aids every year.”
Captain Hall is grateful for the new addition and said it can be used for many different things.
"We use an airboat here in Southeast Texas for many different reasons,” Hall said. “Obviously, what people first think about is resource protection, which is the least we use it for. We are really prone to storms and natural disasters.”
Game wardens want to keep their newest boat the "Patriot" in pristine condition.
"This boat is our baby right now, so we are very protective of it right now," Captain Hall said. "So only the most experienced airboat operators in our district will start to learn how to operate it, because it is really powerful and its more powerful than any airboat we have had."