Romania's Interior Ministry (MAI) will get new medevac and search and rescue helicopters, according to a press statement released by the government on Monday.
On Monday, a signing ceremony was held of a framework agreement on the provision of light helicopters, properly equipped for medical evacuation as well as search and rescue operations in a mountainous environment or hard-to-reach areas, in the presence of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.
The project is conducted on European funds, is valid for 48 months and its objective is the acquisition of ten helicopters for medical evacuation as well as search and rescue operations.
In the first stage, four light multifunctional helicopters, fully equipped for medical evacuation as well as search and rescue missions in a mountainous environment or hard-to-reach areas will be purchased, with six to follow in a second stage.
Signing the framework agreement on the part of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) was Brigadier General Dan-Paul Iamandi; Commander Catalin-Paul Dache signed it on behalf of the General Aviation Inspectorate, while Airbus Helicopters Romania, a prominent provider, dispatched its commercial director Radu Homorozeanu.
"The purchase of new fully equipped emergency helicopters is an imperative approach, given that the fleet currently available is insufficient to meet the demand for medical and search and rescue operations and, in particular, for mountain rescue operations. We are taking an important step in addition to the other steps that are part of a new concept of emergency management - VISION 2020," said Dancila.
The Vision 2020 project is funded under operational programme large infrastructure and designed to provide intervention hardware to reduce emergency response time and ensure rapid and effective response to disasters. The project involves three levels of development by acquiring the equipment to support air, land and sea interventions.
IGSU has been designated a central procurement unit for the acquisition of light, medium and heavy helicopters, as well as a flight simulator for the General Aviation Inspectorate, necessary for the preparation and execution of emergency missions.
The General Aviation Inspectorate is the contracting authority for the conclusion of subsequent contracts.
Also attending the signing ceremony of the framework agreement at the Romanian Government House were Minister of European Funds Roxana Manzatu; Interior Minister Nicolae Moga; head of the Emergency Department Raed Arafat; senior official with the Ministry of Health Rodica Nassar; French ambassador Michele Ramis; German ambassador Cord Meier-Klodt; as well as IGSU, IGA and Airbus Helicopters Romania officials.
MAI, through its air operator - the General Aviation Inspectorate - currently has 22 aircraft - 20 helicopters and two airplanes - covering just 56 percent of the demand mentioned in the ministry's aviation development strategy for 2010-2020, approved by the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT).
Of the total of 14 light helicopters, ten are intended for aeromedical missions, but none of them is equipped for search and rescue missions or rescue missions in mountains, on the sea or hard-to-reach areas.
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