Ambulance Victoria and Babcock Australasia reach service milestone
The AW139 helicopter fleet has now exceeded 20,000 flying hours, five years after entering service
Babcock Australasia’s Chief Pilot and Head of Flying Operations (Onshore), Captain Tom House, said the achievement is testament to the strong collaboration with Ambulance Victoria. “Working in partnership with the customer, Babcock’s Aviation & Critical services team has maintained operations since the start of the pandemic and remained committed to service delivery,” Captain House said. “Babcock delivers mission-critical emergency medical services (EMS) and search and rescue (SAR) operations 365 days a year within on-call rapid response times. We also provide qualification training to pilots, aircrew and engineers, as well as specialist aeromedical training to Ambulance Victoria’s Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) Flight Paramedics.”
He added: “Our long-term partnership with Ambulance Victoria and experience with HEMS continues to deliver significant benefit to more than 5.8 million people living in rural, regional and metropolitan Victoria.”
Respect between pilots and paramedics
“Babcock pilots and aircrew officers work in a close-knit team with MICA paramedics, which is critical when conducting operations at short notice at all hours of the day and night, often in challenging weather conditions and involving traumatic circumstances,” said Captain House. “As a result, there is a high level of professional respect between the crew members and a close bond forged by shared experiences.”
Operating from bases in Essendon, La Trobe Valley, Bendigo and Warrnambool, Babcock’s AW139 crews fly more than 2,700 EMS and SAR missions each year across Victoria and Bass Strait.
Captain House said Babcock provides Ambulance Victoria with turnkey helicopter support services to maintain and fly the fleet of specialized medical emergency configured AW139 helicopters. “This includes early adoption of new technologies, custom configuration of specialized on-board aeromedical equipment, as well as bespoke aircraft cabin designs and fitouts suitable for HEMS and SAR operations,” Captain House said.
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