Norwegian Air Ambulance
The Norwegian Air Ambulance Service (
Dedicated planes are provided at seven bases, and helicopters at 13.[1] In addition the service depends on the state Search and rescue helicopters for a full national coverage. The fixed-wing aircraft and HEMS helicopters are operated by the private companies Lufttransport and Norsk Luftambulanse on contract for the Air Ambulance Service.[2] The rescue helicopters are operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force 330 squadron.
History
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In 1973 the Norwegian government started looking at possible ways to organise an air ambulance service in Norway. Before the government had made a decision, the foundation Norsk Luftambulanse had been founded in 1977 and provided one helicopter from its base at Lørenskog. In 1983 the government started buying services from the foundation, and in 1988 a nationwide air ambulance service was started where the government bought services from private companies.
By 1993 three companies had established themselves on the domestic air ambulance marked in Norway: Norsk Luftambulanse, Airlift and Lufttransport. In 2002 Norsk Luftambulanse bought the air ambulance operation from Airlift, and merged the operations. In April 2006 the Air Ambulance Service has extended its contracts with Norsk Luftambulanse and Lufttransport until 2014.
Operations
Helicopter emergency medical service
The helicopter ambulances are located on heliports at 11 hospitals around the country. The helicopters are operated by the private companies Lufttransport and Norsk Luftambulanse. Lufttransport operates a total of 10 AgustaWestland AW139 while Norsk Luftambulanse operates a total of 14 Airbus H135-T3 and H145-T2 for the service.[2]
Helicopters are stationed at the hospitals in
Fixed-wing ambulances
Plane ambulances are stationed at six airports in Norway.[3] The service is provided by Lufttransport with 12 Beech King Air B200 aircraft. The airplanes are stationed at Alta Airport, Bodø Airport, Brønnøysund Airport, Gardermoen, Tromsø Airport, Kirkenes and Ålesund Airport.[3]
Search and rescue helicopters
The Air Force 330 squadron has its headquarters at
The squadron operates 12 Sea King helicopters[citation needed] and had 1 038 operations in 2005 [citation needed]. RNOAF 330 Squadron is in the process of retiring its Westland Sea Kings, and replace them with Augusta Westland AW-101. As of late 2022, they have received 11 out of 16 AW-101s.
At any given time the 330 squadron has six helicopters on 15 minutes readiness, one at each station. The helicopters are under command of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Southern Norway located at Sola which is responsible for Southern Norway (Rygge, Sola, Florø and Ørland) and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Northern Norway located at Bodø which is responsible for Northern Norway (Bodø and Banak) [citation needed]. The primary function is search and rescue (SAR) but several hundred air ambulance missions are undertaken each year.
See also
References
- ^ "Raske fakta om Luftambulansetjenesten". Luftambulansetjenesten.no (in Norwegian). Paragraph 3. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Luftambulansetjenesten" (in Norwegian). p. Om luftambulansetjenesten >> Operatørene. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ a b c "Luftambulansetjenesten" (in Norwegian). p. Om luftambulansetjenesten >> Våre baser. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
External links
- 330 Squadron Website (in Norwegian)
- Air Ambulance Service (in Norwegian)
