hems & sar in Italy
Hello,
About Hems in Italy we perform as follows:
a) 3 minutes take off (from call to t/o although time is flexible) for primary flights in daytime sunrise-30min to sunset+30min, weather conditions permitting.
b) Time required for planing mission for secondary flights (e.g.: hospital to hospital transfers) in daytime or nightime; usually you don't go over 30 minutes.
Prerequisites are:
1) the heading contractor of HEMS system is the government.
2) all we are flying twin engines operated by private air transport operators.
3) crews are alwais close to the helicopter in duty time and it is supposed they perform checks when starting their service.
4) night service is unaided with two pilots. Day time may be single or two pilots.
5) the medical system requires 3 min because of the "stay and play" approach to the emergency. We have 1 reanimation anaesthesist and 1 reanimation nurse on board, paid by the contractor.
6) due to lack of remote areas and plenty of moutain areas (Alps & Appennine) of some high, usually HEMS merges and overlaps with SAR; so we have medic/nurse crew members using hoist in certain rough countys.
Maeroda