A crew of the 82 ° CSAR Center (Combat Search And Rescue) of Trapani intervened yesterday, Monday 16 August 2021, to block the extension of the fire that developed in the Vicari (PA) area.
The Air Force helicopter took off around 9:30 in the morning, making about 8 hours of flight, for a total of 51 discharges and over 40.000 liters of water poured into the flames.
The activity, carried out in collaboration with two canadians from the Department of Civil Protection and two helicopters from private companies, ended around 21 pm last night.
The HH-139B is part of the assets of the Armed Forces that the Ministry of Defense has made available for this year's forest fire campaign in Sicily, which began last June 15, which consolidates the collaboration, which has already been in place for several years. , between Armed Forces, National Fire Brigade Corps and Civil Protection (PROCIV).
The take-off orders came from the AOC (Aerospace Operations Command) of Poggio Renatico (FE), in coordination with the Permanent Unified Operations Room (SOUP) of the Sicily Region.
The commitment of the Armed Forces is part of the agreement stipulated between the Ministry of Defense and the Department of Civil Protection as part of the forest fire campaign, which provides for the establishment of the Unified Air Operational Center (COAU), as the coordinating body of interventions in case of emergency .
The 82nd Center is one of the departments of the 15th wing of the Italian Air Force which guarantees, 24 hours a day, 24 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, competing, moreover, to activities of public utility such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized patients, also operating in extreme weather conditions.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15 ° flock have saved about 7500 people in danger of life.
Since 2018 the department has acquired the AIB (Forest Fire Protection) capacity, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires in Sicily.
