The intervention in the Venetian Lagoon near Chioggia
An HH-139A helicopter of the 15 ° Stormo of the Italian Air Force intervened during the night to rescue two fishermen in difficulty on their boat in the Venetian Lagoon, near Chioggia.
The alarm crew, after being activated by the Rescue Coordination Center of the Italian Air Operation Center of Poggio Renatico, took off from the military airport of Cervia - headquarters of the 15th Wing - and headed to the intervention area.
The research and subsequent recovery activities, which took place through the use of the winch, were particularly complex due to the poor visibility and severe bad weather that had affected the area.
Thanks to the use of night vision goggles - Night Vision Goggle (NVG) and the high level of training of the SAR (Search & Rescue) crews, the operations were completed in complete safety. The two rescued men, in an advanced state of hypothermia, were transferred to the Chioggia hospital where they were entrusted to the care of the 118 doctors.
Due to severe bad weather, the military helicopter was unable to return to Cervia airport but had to land in Bologna, an alternate airport. The crew only returned to Cervia this morning. Identifying alternate airports to be used in an emergency or for flight safety reasons is part of the fundamental phases of operational flight planning.
The crews of the 15th Wing, and more generally of the Air Force, train daily to maintain a high level of professionalism and competence when they are called to intervene.
Last night's rescue is one of the services that the Air Force carries out for the community as well. SAR - search and rescue - is a peculiar specialty that arises from the need to operate for the search and rescue of crews and military personnel in difficulty, both in Italy and abroad. This ability, made possible by the use of technologically advanced means and crews trained in the most marginal environmental conditions, can be addressed - as in this and many other circumstances - directly to the citizen. The service is available without interruption 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, covers the entire national territory, including the islands, and is insured for public utility missions such as the emergency medical transport of people in imminent danger. of life, or that of organs and medical teams for transplants.