Shortly before 1 a.m. this morning, May 21, the HH-139B helicopter of the 82nd SAR Center (Search And Rescue) of the 15th Air Force Squadron of the Italian Air Force, based in Trapani, took off to carry out the urgent medical transport of a 59-year-old man from the island of Linosa to the Hospital of Agrigento.
The crew, on alert immediately after receiving the mission order from the Operations Room of the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) of the Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (FE), belonging to the Air Squad of Milan, immediately headed to the San Antonio Abate Hospital in Trapani to board the doctor and the nurse, and then headed to the island of Linosa (AG) for the recovery of the patient. Upon arrival at the scene, after about an hour of flight, the patient was boarded on the HH139B helicopter and transported promptly to the hospital facility ASP San Giovanni di Dio in Agrigento, where he arrived around three o’clock this morning. Subsequently, the SAR crew, after returning the medical staff to the Hospital of Trapani, returned to the base, where they resumed their regular alert duty.
The 15th Wing guarantees, 24 hours a day, every single day of the year, the search and rescue of flight crews in distress, 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 imminent danger to life, and the rescue of severely traumatised individuals, operating in complex meteorological conditions, both day and night.
From its establishment to the present day, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved thousands of lives, while during the summer they also carry out Forest Firefighting (AIB) activities as part of the assets provided by the Defence for this campaign. In addition to the 82nd SAR Centre of Trapani, the 15th Wing of Cervia also depends on, and is deployed throughout the national territory, the 80th SAR Centre of Decimomannu (Cagliari), the 85th SAR Centre of Pratica di Mare (Rome), the 84th SAR Centre of Gioia del Colle (Bari) and the 83rd SAR Group, located precisely in Cervia (Ravenna).
The Italian Air Force's flight units are capable of transporting patients, organs, medical teams, and ambulances, even in complex weather conditions. Hundreds of flight hours are carried out each year for these types of operations, not only by the helicopters of the 15th Wing of Cervia but also by the aircraft of the 31st Wing of Ciampino, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare, and the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa.
