Press release no. 76/2018 Italian Air Force: forest firefighting operation in Sicily Yesterday afternoon, Monday 9 July, a HH-139A helicopter of the 82nd Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Center was taken off from the Birgi air base in Trapani to extinguish a fire in the area of the Castellammare del Golfo (TP) Parks. The crew, dispatched on the order of the C.O.A. (Command Operations Air) of Poggio Renatico (Fe) in coordination with the S.O.U.P. (Unified Permanent Operations Room) of the Sicilian Region, after retrieving water for the extinguishing with the appropriate bucket, headed to the fire zone. The extinguishing operations were divided into two phases, for a total of over 4 hours of flight, 37 drops and the release of 25,900 liters of water, after which the Air Force crew managed to put out the fire. Specifically, the first activation of the HH-139A took place at 18:50, after more than two hours of flight, with 18 drops and the release of 12,600 liters of water. Upon returning to the base, the crew received the second order to take off. Departing at 19:20 from the Trapani Airport, the helicopter reached the area affected by the fire after approximately 15 minutes, continuing the firefighting operations until about 21:00, carrying out 19 drops and releasing 13,300 liters of water. After extinguishing the fire, the helicopter returned to the airport, while remaining on alert and at the service of the public. In the fight against fires in the Sicily region, the Defense has made available several units of the Armed Forces. A first intervention by the Air Force as part of this deployment took place on July 3 last year. Firefighting is one of the dual capabilities that the Air Force, in collaboration with the other Armed Forces, makes available to the public in cases of public utility or in the event of disasters, operating in this case in close contact and in support of the various agencies and state bodies involved in the rescue operations. During the first part of 2018, the crews of the 82nd CSAR Center acquired the AIB (Anti Fire Boschivi) capability with the helicopter in service, the modern HH-139A, participating actively in the operation set up by the Region of Sicily to cope with the fire emergency. The action to combat fires from the HH-139A often goes hand in hand with that of the Canadair aircraft, which are always deployed at the Trapani base. The 82nd C.S.A.R. Center is one of the Departments of the 15th Air Force of the Italian Air Force that guarantees, 24 hours a day, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing people at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of sick people in danger of life, and the rescue of seriously traumatized people, operating in any meteorological condition. Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Air Force have rescued more than 7,300 people in life-threatening danger.