New intervention by an HH-139A helicopter from the 82nd SAR Centre on anti-fire alert duty near Castellammare del Golfo (TP) In the afternoon of yesterday, Monday 9th July, an HH-139A helicopter from the 82nd CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) Centre took off from Trapani Birgi air base to put out a fire in the Parchi area of Castellammare del Golfo (TP). The crew, taking off on the orders of the Air Operations Command (AOC) of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) in coordination with the Permanent Unified Operations Room (PUOR) of the Sicily Region, after collecting water for firefighting with the special bucket, headed for the burning area. The firefighting operations were divided into two phases, for a total of over 4 hours of flight, 37 drops and the release of 25,900 litres of water, at the end of which the Air Force crew managed to extinguish the fire. Specifically, the first deployment of the HH-139A concluded at 18:50, after over two hours of flight, with 18 drops and the release of 12,600 litres of water. Returning to base, the crew received a second take-off order. Departing at 19:20 from Trapani Airport and reaching the area affected by the fire after approximately 15 minutes, the helicopter continued firefighting operations until around 21:00, carrying out 19 drops and releasing 13,300 litres of water. With the fire extinguished, the helicopter returned to the airport, remaining on alert and ready to serve the community.
For the fight against fires in the Sicily region, the Ministry of Defence has made several assets from the Armed Forces available. An initial intervention by the Air Force as part of this deployment took place on 3 July. Firefighting is one of the dual-use capabilities that the Air Force, in conjunction with the other Armed Forces, makes available to the community in cases of public utility or in occasions of disaster, operating in this case in close contact and in support of the various state agencies and bodies involved in relief efforts. During the first part of 2018, the crews of the 82nd C.S.A.R. (Combat Search and Rescue) Centre acquired the AIB (Aerial Forest Firefighting) capability with their assigned helicopter, the modern HH-139A, actively participating in the deployment set up by the Sicily Region to deal with the fire emergency. The HH-139A's action to combat fire fronts often complements that of Canadair aircraft, also deployed at the Trapani base.
The 82nd C.S.A.R. Centre is one of the Units of the 15th Wing of the Air Force which guarantees, 24 hours a day, non-stop, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, the urgent medical transport of patients in life-threatening conditions, and the rescue of severely traumatised individuals, operating in all weather conditions. Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved more than 7,300 people in life-threatening danger.
