Lebanon: medical transport and first aid courses
The Task Force “Italair” serving in Lebanon has moved to hospital a seriously ill French military. The air mission, carried out successfully by an Italian Army helicopter AB 212, carrying the French aero-medical team, has been activated by the call of the Mission Air Operations Centre of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon).
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The Italian aircraft, took off in six minutes to the UN Basic French, boarded the patient to take him to St. Geroge Hospital in Beirut. That of emergency medical transport is one of the most important services performed by Italian soldiers in Naqoura. The Task Force “Italair” – made up of the Army Aviation flight crews, a crew of the Navy and one of the Air Force – operates in Lebanon since 1979, and it’s the veteran unit in the service of the United Nations.
The flight crews guarantee every day, a helicopter ready to take off in 30 minutes for this purpose and a second helicopter with the same characteristics of readiness for various general tasks, carrying out daily reconnaissance missions, patrolling and transport. Since the beginning of its service, “Italair” performed 39,000 hours of flight in the skies of Lebanon and Israel, and in 1700 transport of sick or injured people. Meanwhile, the activities of the staff of Italian UNIFIL carry on in the military base of Shama. After a busy week of theoretical and practical lessons on first aid in a hostile area, the participants of the 1st training course to the first medical aid have achieved the certificates of attendance.
The training cycle – centered on the simulation of accidents involving serious injuries to stabilize and evacuate from the battlefield – was conducted by the Italian staff for the Lebanese Armed Forces and foreign troops of Sector West.
Viviana Passalacqua
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