Matthew Mauzy manages IT emergency response, helicopter rescue missions

The night after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, Matthew Mauzy was in a helicopter flying over the mountains. Even wearing night vision goggles, Mauzy strained to see in the dark. The sloped terrain below him made it harder to see the ground. But Mauzy is no stranger to crises at work and off the clock.

A selfie of Matthew Mauzy in a helicopter above Western NC, wearing a helmet and headset. — Matthew Mauzy in a helicopter above Western NC

As ITS’ emergency response technology manager, Mauzy is responsible for the IT behind the Alert Carolina system. When students, faculty and staff receive notifications about situations on campus, it’s Mauzy’s work that makes it possible. Mauzy provides IT solutions to all sorts of University health, safety and emergency efforts, including for the pandemic response and the testing for lead in campus drinking water.

He has managed and contributed to such projects as migrating WordPress to the cloud, rolling out ServiceNow, and moving ITS teams to other buildings. He helps with crisis communications and leads the ITS Change Approval Board.

On alert and above ground

Outside of ITS, Mauzy is chief of the South Orange Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer emergency response organization that serves Orange County. He’s also the lead rescue technician for the eastern portion of the North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART). NCHART is a “highly specialized team” of NC National Guard and State Highway Patrol aircraft matched with NC Emergency Management and local first responders, like Mauzy, who “form a mission-ready package for helicopter-based rescues.” Essentially, when disaster strikes, NCHART responds immediately to rescue people.

In 2017, the University recognized Mauzy with a public service award for his work responding to Hurricane Matthew as part of NCHART.

Helene air rescue operations largest in a decade

“It’s not uncommon to do rescues from picking people off of rooftops or out of trees or on tops of cars that have become stranded in water,” Mauzy said. “That’s really the focus of the NCHART program: that air rescue capability where ground-based teams or boat-based teams can’t get to those individuals.”

Matthew Mauzy and another rescuer attached to a hoist hanging from the helicopter over a forest of trees in Western NC. — Matthew Mauzy (left) and another rescuer on a helicopter hoist above Western NC

NCHART performed air rescue operations in Western North Carolina for about 10 days, starting at first light the morning after Helene hit. Along with high-priority critical rescues, Mauzy and his team loaded and evacuated aircraft crowded with individuals who were cut off by destroyed bridges and roads.

Mauzy and his team worked with helicopter rescue programs from other states to rescue nearly 600 people in Western North Carolina. It’s the largest operation NCHART has conducted in the past decade.

An aerial view of a flooded street in Western NC with damaged buildings and cars.

An aerial view of a flood in Western NC. Trees are destroyed as the water rushes under a bridge.

A natural rescuer

Mauzy joined South Orange Rescue Squad 29 years ago when he was an undergraduate student at UNC. Growing up, he was a Boy Scout who loved the outdoors. His interest in outdoor sports like kayaking and climbing led him to technical emergency response as an adult. Today, Mauzy is one of about 25 helicopter rescue specialists in North Carolina.

Now, efforts in Western North Carolina have entered the recovery phase. Though his official role is over, Mauzy imagines he’ll volunteer in another capacity to help the region. At home, his work for ITS continues as he keeps people safe on campus and beyond.