Press Release

Issued by Babcock Mission Critical Services Espana.

November 5, 2013

The medical helicopter in Cuenca, operated by an INAER Spain crew, has recently taken part in an earthquake drill organised by the Castilla-La Mancha Health Service and the Military Emergency Unit (MEU) and the abandoned village of Carrascosilla, Cuenca.

During the drill, personnel had the opportunity to put rescue and healthcare procedures into practice, procedures which are essential in incidents of this nature. At least 50 members of the Emergency Services and 40 members from the MEU's International Urban Search and Rescue unit took part, including staff from the Canine Search Unit, the Civil Guard, the Huete Civil Protection Service and many others.

The exercise formed part of the Natural Disasters and Emergencies Healthcare course, which took part in Huete, Cuenca, in collaboration with the MEU and the local government. The course involved 50 emergency healthcare personnel including doctors, nurses and emergency and health technicians from the MEU.

In 2012, more than 2,000 were carried out by the four INAER-operated helicopters, two of which are equipped to fly night missions. These helicopters are staffed by experienced staff and use state of the art technology. The average response time is approximately eight minutes for urban locations and twenty minutes for rural areas