Police air wing takes flight to save lives.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-Outfitted with cutting edge technology, the Abu Dhabi police air wing, small by Western standards, can come to the rescue in a matter of minutes.

A component of the air wing, the air ambulance service--trained to respond to incidents ranging from car crashes to plane crashes, rescue operations and disasters--was established in 1997 with the help of South African paramedics. The UAE hired six flight paramedics, six doctors and eight South African pilots to help set up the air ambulance service, said Lt. Etienne Jelliman, chief flight paramedic.

In the fleet now are seven Bell 412 helicopters out of which three are for emergency medical services, one for VIP transportation and one for search and rescue missions equipped with a forward looking infrared. The Bell 412 helicopter has a two-ton lifting capability, a combination of rugged fuselage construction and a Pratt & Whitney PT6T-3D Twin Pac engine, rupture resistant fuel cells, and energy absorbing crew seats.

There also are three BO 105 choppers, built by Eurocopter, which are used primarily for aerial surveillance of sports events.

Additionally, three Eurocopter BK 117s with a single-patient configuration also are used for EMS missions, and transport of pesonnel and equipment, he said. The 412 Bell and BK 117 helicopters also service the police special forces.

"The Bell 412 can change from a medical helicopter to a patrol helicopter in 20 minutes. It has a quick-release interior," said Sudanese Doctor Waleed Hassab, who is one of the newest members of the air wing.

The 412 has an intensive-care unit with a ventilator, incubator for newborns cardiac monitoring and medicine. "The teams can carry two ventilated patients simultaneously with an endurance of four hours," said Jelliman.

Hazard drills are conducted at least twice a year at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, where crews simulate an aircraft crash, said Jelliman. "We train with the ambulance rescue section and we do disaster drills with them. We do triage on the ground and take the more serious patients by air," he said. The air wing can fly eight patients with five helicopters at any given time, he added.

Much time is spent doing search and rescue operations over water, said Jelliman. To that effect the air wing occasionally trains with the UAE coast guard.