The life-saving operation, carried out on the Ponza – Latina stretch, was performed by an HH139-B from the 85th SAR Centre of Pratica di Mare.
The [event] concluded in the very early hours of Thursday 16th November. Air rescue carried out with a HH139-B helicopter of the’85° SAR Centre (Search and Rescue) at Pratica di Mare. The operation, carried out on the Ponza-Latina route, enabled the urgent medical transport of an elderly man who had suffered a heart attack.
The activation request arrived around 1:30 in the morning from Latina Prefecture al Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) del Air and Space Operations Command (COA) in Poggio Renatico (FE) which has, among its duties, that of managing these types of missions for the good of the community.
The transport, made particularly complex by difficult weather conditions, did not allow for the planned boarding of the medical team of the.’Santa Maria Goretti Hospital directly to Latina Airport, the location of the destination hospital. The healthcare personnel therefore first reached Pratica di Mare Airport by ambulance from where, on board the’HH139-B, along with the Air Force crew, took off for the Pontine Island.
Upon arrival at Ponza and after embarking the elderly gentleman who was in mortal danger, having been transported to the scene by ambulance, the helicopter departed for the 118 landing pad located at the’Latina Enrico Comani Airport, where the patient, assisted by healthcare personnel, finally disembarked. The air mission concluded around 4:30 AM on Thursday, when the helicopter returned to Pratica di Mare and resumed operational readiness to support citizens in difficulty.
The’85° SAR Centre It depends 15th Air Wing of Cervia ensuring the search and rescue of flight crews in distress 24 hours a day, every single day of the year, and also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, the urgent sanitary transport of patients in imminent danger of life and the rescue of seriously injured individuals, also operating in complex weather conditions.
From its establishment to the present day, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved thousands of lives. Since 2018, the Department has also acquired the Wildfire Fighting Capability contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the joint force deployed by the Defence.
From the 15th Wing in Cervia, in addition to the’85th SAR Centre Pratica di Mare, dependent, located throughout the national territory, also the’80° SAR Centre, Decimomannu (Cagliari), the’82° Trapani SAR Centre, the’83rd SAR Flight Group, right on Cervia, and the’84° Search and Rescue Centre, Gioia del Colle (Bari).
