Throughout the weekend, helicopters and crews of the 15th Wing of Cervia are in action at the request of the regional Civil Protection and the Prefecture of Ravenna
The crews of the 15th Wing of the Air Force stationed at the Cervia base, a department specialized in air search and rescue, have been engaged since last Friday in relief activities for the populations of Emilia Romagna affected by the strong wave of bad weather from the last days.
In the afternoon of Friday 5 May, at the request of the regional Civil Protection, the Aerospace Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) ordered the intervention of an HH-139B helicopter from the 83rd SAR Center (Search and Rescue) of Cervia to transport rescue teams to Modigliana, a municipality in the province of Forlì Cesena among the most affected by the strong wave of bad weather that has scourged the Emilia Romagna region in the last few hours.
In the late evening of the same day, the same helicopter took off again to recover two citizens of the same municipality who were isolated in their homes in an area that cannot be reached by land. The operation ended successfully around 23pm and required the use of special night vision goggles by the crew.
On Saturday 6 May, at the request of the Prefecture of Ravenna, air intervention was requested to bring supplies to a livestock farm that had remained isolated in a mountainous and inaccessible area in Casola Valsenio, in the Ravenna area. An HH-139B helicopter then intervened, again from the Cervia base, to carry out this particular rescue mission. The activities concluded on Sunday.
This type of intervention is one of those that the Defence, through specialized units of the Armed Forces identified from time to time on the basis of need, makes available to the community in the event of an emergency or calamity.
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The 15th Wing of the Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 24 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as of missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized people, also operating in extreme weather conditions.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15th Stormo have saved more than 7500 people in danger of life. Since 2018, the Department has acquired the AIB (Forest Fire Fighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the inter-force device put in place by the Defense.