• Home
• /
• UAE

Dubai Police airlift man off ship with no helideck

Dubai - The rescue mission was carried out by the air wing of the General Department of Transport and Rescue of the Dubai Police.

Despite having no helideck on-board, the Dubai Police Air Wing managed to airlift an Indian sailor injured on a ship off the Dubai coast and transferred him to the Rashid Hospital.
The rescue mission was carried out by the air wing of the General Department of Transport and Rescue of the Dubai Police 17 nautical miles (approx 32km) off the Dubai coast.
The operations room of the department received a distress call about an Indian, identified as H.J.S., 44, who had severely injured his finger - with the possibility of it being amputated.
Maj-Gen Anas Al Abdulrahman Al Matrooshi, director of the General Department of Transport and Rescue department, said the department dispatched an air ambulance piloted by Essam Bin Hafez and Lieutenant-Pilot Abdullah Al Shair, who found the rescue operation difficult as the vessel had no helideck.
The rescue team then used a hoist to lift the H.J.S to the chopper, where he was given first aid before being flown to Rashid Hospital where he received treatment and was said to be in good health condition now.
Major-Gen Al Matroushi said the Dubai Police air wing comprises 14 paramedics and rescue staff who work round the clock and respond to cases where road ambulance service is unable to reach.
He said aircrafts used in such rescue operations are high-tech and equipped with all the requirements of an ambulances.
Enumerating some of the other duties of the air wing department, Al Matrooshi said the tasks the air ambulance undertakes include transporting patients to hospitals, carrying out rescue services, conducting security patrols in areas not easily accessible by land patrols round the clock and regulating traffic flow.
Al Matroushi said the pilots trained for such operations undergo various training courses such as dealing with flying at low altitudes and take-off or landing in areas not designed for helicopters, as well as in the crowded public areas.
amira@khaleejtimes.com
salah@khaleejtimes.com