Dubai’s copter airlifts sick man from ship

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The aircraft of the Air Wing Centre of Dubai Police, in cooperation with the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, rescued a 64-year-old Polish crew member of a commercial ship sailing in the territorial waters, and immediately transferred him to Rashid Hospital for treatment when he suffered a severe heart attack.

Colonel Pilot trainer Ali Al Muhairi, Director of the Air Wing Centre affirmed that the centre’s high readiness contributed to saving the life of the crew member of the ship after reaching its place at a distance of 28 nautical miles in time. Colonel Khalfan Al Mazroui, Deputy Director of the Air Wing Centre, explained that the centre received a tipoff from the National Search and Rescue Centre at 6:30 pm. on Tuesday alerting that one of the ship’s crew had a heart attack outside the territorial waters, and needed medical care and transportation to the hospital urgently.

Al Mazroui pointed out that the Air Wing Centre coordinated with the control tower at the Jebel Ali Port Operations Centre and located the ship, then a helicopter, flown by Pilot Trainer Captain Abdullah Al Shaer, accompanied by trainer Jeremy and paramedics Melmer Bodayo and Alan Nanali of Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services took off towards it.

Al Mazroui explained that a crane designated for rescue operations was used to lower the paramedics to the deck of the ship, where the sick crew member was lifted onto the plane, and was given the necessary first aid before heading to the hospital to complete treatment.

The Dubai Police Maritime Rescue Patrols have recently rescued two people stranded between rocks in the middle of the sea near Jebel Ali.

According to Colonel Dr Hassan Suhail Al Suwaidi, Director of Ports Police Station, they responded to a distress call on two individuals whose rubber boat was swept off rocks by the high waves during the recent unstable weather conditions. “The bad weather, high waves, strong currents posed serious threats to our first responders who defied the odds to rescue the distressed,” he said.

Col. Al Suwaidi explained that with their careful and attentive preparedness for all types of possible scenarios, Dubai Police maritime rescue patrols headed to the stranded inflatable boat and, after several attempts, successfully transported the two individuals to the shore safely.