It ended on 30 September last Forest Fire Campaign to which the Army has provided its contribution in competition to the Department of Civil Protection.
Started on June 15, the activity was coordinated by the presidency of the council of ministers - civil protection department to face the fire emergency that last summer also ravaged the peninsula.
Employed in the fleet of state aircraft that provided support to the AIB Campaign, the Army Aviation ensured the 24-hour service throughout the national territory.
Specifically, the departments concerned were the 7th AVES "Vega" regiment stationed in Rimini, the AVES training center and the 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment (REOS) “Aldebaran” of Viterbo, the 2nd AVES “Sirio” regiment of Lamezia Terme (CZ) and the 21st AVES permanent detachment “Orsa Maggiore” located in Cagliari.
The Army aircraft used were UH-205, UH-212, HH-412 and UH-90, multirole helicopters which due to their technical characteristics are also particularly suitable for law enforcement to fires, through the use of a bucket capable of carrying from 1000 to 1600 liters of water.
During the summer, the Army's blue berets intervened in Friuli, Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Lazio, Calabria and Sardinia, carrying out several dozen firefighting missions, for a total of 160 flight hours and 1.050 water jumps on various fires.
The performance of specific tasks in circumstances of public calamity and in other cases of extraordinary need or urgency is one of the Defense missions that the Army carries out daily, thanks to the preparation of personnel and the versatility of its aircraft, always at the service of the country and safeguarding the population and natural heritage.
