Nine operational missions and approximately 275,000 liters of water released by the crews of the Air Force in the last eight days to help extinguish the fires that broke out in various areas in Sicily and Sardinia. Additionally, 15 tourists who were trapped by the flames and the smoke caused by a massive fire in San Vito Lo Capo, in Sicily, were rescued.
Several helicopters and crews of the’Italian Air Force, along with other structures and personnel of the other Armed Forces and jointly with Department of Civil Protection and National Fire Corps, They are currently working on fire-fighting operations throughout the national territory, especially in Sicily and Sardinia, as part of the Bosch Firefighting Campaign 2023 The match officially took place in June.
In particular, the crews of the Air Force, aboard the helicopters HH-139 of the’80th Search and Rescue (SAR) Center of Decimomannu (CA) and of the’82° Trapani SAR Centre, Both of them belong to the 15th Wing, They carried out seven operational missions in just eight days, with a total of 355 drops and approximately 275,000 liters of water being poured.
The first intervention since the start of the campaign was carried out in Sicily last July 17th. An HH-139B helicopter of the 82nd SAR Center took off from Trapani to extinguish a fire in Alcamo (TP), performing, specifically, 73 drops of over 50,000 liters of water.
The activities of Rescue They were then resumed last weekend, continuing without interruption until Tuesday, July 25. On Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23, an HH-139A helicopter from the 80th SAR Center, taking off from the airbase in Decimomannu (CA), intervened to extinguish some fires in the province of South Sardinia, carrying out a total of 40 drops on both days, for approximately 35,000 liters of water.
On Monday, July 24, the Air Force’s assets were activated several times in Sicily and Sardinia, carrying out 33 and 41 sorties, respectively.
In the very early hours of Tuesday morning, July 25, an HH139B helicopter from the 82nd SAR Center in Trapani also intervened in the area of Cala Grottazza Calampiso, in the municipality of San Vito Lo Capo, to recover 15 tourists trapped by the flames and smoke caused by a fire. Once located and the most suitable route by land to rescue them was identified from above, the helicopter landed on a clearing allowing the landing of two technicians from the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS) of Sicily and an Air Rescue aircraft of the Air Force, who ensured the safety of the tourists and transported them to the ground rescue teams.
Another intervention, on the same day of Tuesday, July 25, saw an HH-139B from the 82nd SAR Center in Trapani deployed in the Monreale (PA) area, carrying out a total of 60 drops over 40,000 liters of water in 8 hours of flight.
The interventions to deal with the fire emergency in Sicily continued throughout Wednesday. The helicopters of the 37th Flight, together with the assets of the regional fleet, to which the Flight also provides the Logistical support To operate and reach the areas affected by the flames in the shortest possible time, they took off at 11:30 in the morning, carrying out 3 operational missions in 5 hours of flight, for a total of 45 drops and approximately 39,000 liters of water poured over the fires still active in the area of Monreale (PA).
The Defense participates in the Campaign with a total of 11 helicopters, with related crews, also from the Army, the Navy and the Carabinieri Corps.
The use of the Armed Forces fleet for the AIB Campaign 2023 It falls within the agreement signed between the Ministry of Defense and the Department of Civil Protection as part of the AIB campaign, which also provides for the Unified Air Operations Center (COAU) as the coordinating body for emergency interventions.
Facing it Catastrophic events Like forest fires, it requires an integrated and synergistic management and approach among the forces on the ground. The Ministry of Defense is constantly making available to the national community means and technologies that, designed for specific military needs, can also be effectively used to address civil needs.
It 15th Wing of the Air Force, The 15th Flight Wing’s Rescue and Search Department, which ensures 24/7 search and rescue for aircraft crews in distress, also contributes to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in life-threatening danger, and the rescue of seriously injured people, often operating in extreme weather conditions. Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Flight Wing have rescued more than 7,800 people in life-threatening danger, including more than 300 people during the flood that struck the Emilia Romagna region in May.
