ARLINGTON — “We weren’t necessarily training for disasters like Oso,” Snohomish County Helicopter Response Team flight physician Dr. Ron Brown said. “But when we went out into the mud and sank up to our armpits, having that equipment and training was a huge asset.”

Brown was just one of the members of HRT who recently thanked the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation for its donation of $100,000 in the wake of the March 22 Oso slide, of which $91,500 was used to overhaul a hoist for the team’s helicopter, with the rest going toward other mission critical rescue gear.

HRT coordinator Oyvind Henningson explained that the team had a secondary hoist, but not the funds to overhaul it and make it operational.

“I hate to say it, but the money came in and went out right away,” Henningson said, drawing laughter from the foundation board members.

Brown added: “We recognize that this is no small chunk of change you gave us, so we’re hugely appreciative of it. It’s not funding anything sexy, but it does help support medical care.”

The HRT members presented Arlington Mayor Barbara Tolbert with a photo of SnoHawk 10 conducting rescue operations on March 22 in Oso.

“Oso was a test of our system, and we rose to the occasion,” chief pilot Bill Quistorf said. “Fourteen people were rescued, between us and the Navy. Without your generous donation, we wouldn’t be able to stay in business. If our hoist hadn’t been overhauled, we would be down and out, so this is truly a lifesaver.”

Tolbert acknowledged that, “In tough economic times, we asked ourselves what the right levels of funding were for such service, but after something like Oso, we just want people rescued. We don’t need you until we need you.”