Abstract
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) provides Helicopter Search-and-Rescue (SAR)
and Helicopter Medical Evacuation (Heli-Medevac) coverage for the Singapore Aeronautical
Search and Rescue Region (ASSR) in the South China Sea, spanning 840,000 km2. This region contains busy international shipping lanes and air traffic routes. Each
year, Singapore's Helicopter SAR and Heli-Medevac service is activated multiple times
to rescue personnel lost at sea or to evacuate ill and injured ship sailors or passengers
to tertiary hospitals in Singapore for stabilization and advanced care. This is a
retrospective review on all civilian SAR and Heli-medevac activations by the RSAF
over a 5-year period from 2016 to 2020. Case profiles, presenting conditions, in-flight
treatment, and patient outcomes are reviewed and discussed. Key operational observations
made from RSAF's SAR and Heli-Medevac, as well as lessons learned from these missions,
are discussed in this article.
Abbreviations:
SAR (Search-and-Rescue), Heli-Medevac (Helicopter Medical Evacuation), RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force), ASRR (Aeronautical Search and Rescue Region), FIR (Flight Information Region)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 26, 2022
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© 2022 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
