Virginia State Police's Aviation Unit will hold a river-rescue training exercise tomorrow on the James River in Richmond.

The exercise, which will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at the Pony Pasture rapids area, will allow police to reinforce their existing training, skills and resources as they simulate real-life rescue scenarios.

Members of the fire and emergency-services crews from Chesterfield County, Colonial Heights and Goochland County will be placed in the river and then "rescued" by helicopter and specialized hoisting equipment.

The training will be conducted by the state police Med-Flight I crew, which is comprised of a Virginia State Police trooper-pilot and two flight paramedics with Chesterfield Fire and EMS.

"The goal of the annual training at Pony Pasture rapids is to maintain a high level of proficiency for various rescue operations involving all types of terrain throughout the commonwealth," said Sgt. Shawn T. Rivard, base supervisor for the Virginia State Police Med-Flight I Program.

Established in April 1984, the program has performed more than 45 land and water rescues and initiated over 10,000 Med-Flight missions. The program is supported through taxpayer funds and is cost-free to the people it serves.