In the heart of the night, a crew from the 82nd Center of the C.S.A.R. (Combat Search and Rescue) of the 15th Stormtrooper Wing, based in Trapani, intervened to transport a newborn of only a day old from the “Riuniti Bianchi-Melacrino” Hospital in Reggio Calabria at the San Vincenzo Hospital Taormina (ME) to allow him to receive the necessary care following a serious neonatal pathology.
The crew, on alert with a helicopter HH-139B, received the mission order from Operational Room of the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) of the Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (FE), the Air Force department that manages and coordinates this type of activity throughout the national territory.
The helicopter took off from the airport of Trapani-Birgi in the late evening and headed towards the airport of Reggio Calabria where it landed at the 5th Flight Department of the State Police. Once on the spot,’military crew and the’team medical They quickly activated to ensure all necessary activities were carried out to transport the little patient on board a stretcher in the helicopter. Once the procedures for takeoff were completed, the helicopter headed towards the San Vincenzo Hospital in Taormina (ME), where it arrived late at night.
At the end of the emergency medical transport and after completing a refueling at the airport of Reggio Calabria, the helicopter returned to the air base of Trapani-Birgi, where it resumed its flight. Alert readiness for the S.A.R. national service, preparing for the possibility of further intervention.
Thanks to specific training of military crews and at the’use of state-of-the-art technological equipment what are the night vision goggles (Night Vision Goggles), air transport was provided with the Maximum readiness and complete safety from the alarm crew.
The’82nd C/SAR Center is one of the Departments of the 15th Air Wing of the Air Force that guarantees, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, while also contributing to public utility activities such as: 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, Operating even in marginal meteorological conditions. Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Stormo have more than 7300 people saved in life-threatening danger. Since 2018 the Department has acquired the AIB capability (Forest Fire Fighting) contributing to the prevention and control of fires in Sicily.
