On 9 June, at the “Mario de Bernardi” Military Airport in Pratica di Mare, was held the “Strategic Air Medical Transport Day: capabilities and operational experiences, first edition of an event organised to take stock of the capabilities and experience gained by the Italian Air Force in this sensitive area in the service of the country, and to analyse future development prospects in terms of procedures and technology together with the main institutional and international stakeholders in the sector. The event confirmed the importance of dimension“dual use”of the air medical transport system, a capability developed for the needs of the sector Defence but constantly deployed in support of the national and international community in emergency situations.
The event developed with an initial conference-style part, held in the “Mario de Bernardi” Hall of the Air and Space Experimental Division, introduced by Brig. Gen. Emanuele Garzia, Head of the Health Service of the AM Logistic Command, which, in outlining the framework of activities and the integration between the various actors in the air ambulance sector, emphasised how “the Italian Air Force is fully involved in a synergistic process of Interoperability international, joint-force and inter-agency framework within which the various entities involved in aeromedical transport communicate and collaborate as a single body, in the service of the citizen and the country as a whole.
The debate developed through an initial session dedicated to the capabilities and technological development of the sector, the contributions of which redefined the evolutionary framework of the air ambulance, with particular reference to the new medical modules for the transport of critical patients installed on board the KC-767 aircraft of the 14th Wing. In illustrating the significance of this technological innovation and the complex organisational and inter-institutional framework underlying operational readiness, Colonel Alessandro Fiorini, Director of the Pratica di Mare Main Infirmary, pointed out that “such capabilities represent an important enhancement of the national instrument of strategic air medical transport, making it even more effective, flexible and ready to respond to current and future health and humanitarian challenges. Behind every patient transported safely lies a complex integration of professionalism, resources, expertise and inter-institutional cooperation, which represents one of the most advanced expressions of the country's ability to intervene in the most complex emergency situations.”
The second session examined operational deployment in the field, analysing in particular the management model of the humanitarian airlift arranged by the Ministry of Defence for the transfer of over two hundred patients from Gaza. Through the interventions of Dr Nicola Minasi, Head of the Crisis Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, of Air Division General Davide Re, Head of the Operational Support Department of the Interforce Summit Operational Command, by Dr Luigi D’Angelo, Director General of the Emergency Management Office of the Department of Civil Protection, attention was also focused on inter-ministerial coordination activities and on the collaboration between the Italian Air Force Health Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and local bodies responsible for managing health rescue in emergencies. The final session addressed the multinational dimension of medical evacuation, with speeches by representatives of the European Air Transport Command (EATC) in Eindhoven, including Col. Henning Von Perbandt, Head of’Aeromedical Evacuation Control Centre (AECC), And of the Luftwaffe, focusing attention on interoperability standards at the European level.
“Today we have before us the concrete example of a complex organisation that brings together some of the country's finest excellence., he stated at the close of the event that Air Squad General Achille Cazzaniga, Logistic Commander of the Italian Air Force. Working alongside so many different stakeholders is never simple, but days like this are crucial because they allow us to dialogue and find shared solutions in increasingly difficult scenarios. The capabilities we deploy have a strong “dual-use‘ value: they are created for Defence, but become a vital strategic resource for rescuing the civilian population in the event of crises or natural disasters, as we have demonstrated on several occasions in recent years. This event is a precious moment to consolidate a synergy that remains, always and above all else, entirely at the disposal of the Country System.’
In the afternoon, activities continued on the flight line of the 14th Wing with a static display of Armed Forces aircraft in configuration Aeromedical Evacuation (MEDEVAC): a Falcon 900 and a Gulfstream G650 from the 31st Wing of Ciampino, used for medium and long-range urgent medical transport; a C-130J from the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, an extremely versatile transport asset used for example when a patient's condition requires transfer directly on board an ambulance or for high-biocontainment transport; an HH-139 helicopter from the 15th Wing, one of the rotary-wing assets used for search and rescue activities and also for the transport of medical teams and patients to and from places unreachable by fixed-wing assets. The exhibition was completed by a KC-767 from the 14th Wing, a long-range strategic transport aircraft, configured for the occasion with new D1-D4 medical modules for intensive patient care during flight.
