Rescue: the helicopter flies during the night and lands on a small field behind the house.

Often the quick rescue can save your life.

Areas where it is possible to land with the helicopter of 118 are for this reason important to assure fast rescues. Thanks to a European regulation, Italy is improving its system of aero-rescue and the Region Lombardy is characterised by the rapidity of organizing a model, which aims specifically on the organization during the night with the aero-rescue that in addition to rapidity, also assures the connection with the best appropriate hospital.

And in a Region that is the best about changes, it is again the turn of Province Varese to start the new model with a test, which has already become official, and to create a helping system with the rescue helicopter.

Three municipalities in the aera, in fact, set up their own place to let the helicopter land in case of emergency during the night. To present this important novelty, the regional Health Care Minister, Mario Mantovani, and the CEO of the urgency emergency company, Alberto Zoli, went with the Prefect, Giorgio Zanzi, to the Prefecture Varese to present the integrated system among Areu and the municipalities of Sesto Calende, Brebbia and Lavena Ponte Tresa. Three decisions made related to the territorial position, traffic system and casuistry.

Thanks to an investment of around Euro 15,000-16,000, the three administrations set up some landing areas on their own sporting facilities. Some webcams have been installed to watch the area, the windsock (to know the weather conditions) and a light system, under remote control from the 118 operational centre in Villa Guardia (that controls the large area Varese, Como, Sondrio and Lecco.) Therefore, in case of emergency, the operational centre can let the rescue helicopter take off from those lands on the football pitch in one of the three areas under security conditions.

118 has already handled a real emergency situation: a very serious front collision between two cars on the road Besozzo Vergiate needed the help of the helicopter rescue, which landed during the night on the parking area of the football pitch in Sesto Calende where an injured person had been rescued and then taken to the hospital in Milan: “ the Community regulation imposes security guarantees the flight during the night and the landing on random places without the authorization of ENAC.it is clearly about places which have special characteristics because it’s about visual flights.” As the assessor, Zoli explained.

Brebbia, Sesto and Lavena Ponte Tresa are for this reason among the first three municipalities in Italy to have adopted the European Law coming in contact with the emergency urgency system: “it’s a small economic effort that I hope it can be rewarded by a support of the Region.by the way it’s important having searched conditions which face the problems and the needs of people. “As the Mayor of Brebbia, Domenico Gioia said.

Also the Mayor of Lavena Ponte Tresa, Pietro Roncoroni: underlines the special value of the decision: “there was the fear of the possible reaction by those who live near the Stadium. But we’re talking about a service which can save lives, so I think that all will understand if sometimes they hear a helicopter landing in the middle of the night.” Since August until now, Sesto Calende saw important renovations on the reaction ability: “the emergency medical service vehicle did 100 rescues, and now we even have this other possibility, as the assessor Favaro said. On the other side, Sesto has a high number of industrial companies and tourism activities with a large number of people.”

Alberto Zoli, specifies that the system is regional  and it will count on around fifty placements: in addition to the parking areas of hospitals, there will be places for guests by public authorities  that will come into contact and will allow to Areu to spare tens of thousands euros ,because each parking zone has high costs. In Varese Province, the parking zones of the hospital including the Circolo hospital and Voldomino in Luino and the three municipalities: “we received lots of candidacies, but each location will be considered depending on the characteristics of the system that step by step is creating in Lombardy.”

Between 2011 and 2014, rescues with helicopters redoubled: from 129 of three years ago, to 149 in 2012, to 192 in 2013 until 280 the 15^th November this year.