The helicopter unit of the Sécurité Civile, the French civil defence and emergency preparedness organisation, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2007. Another round figure celebrated this year by the elite airborne unit was the 50,000 flight hours accumulated by its fleet of EC145s.

It was on 19 April 2007 that an EC145 in Sécurité Civile livery, flying an exercise mission from its base in Bordeaux, broke through the symbolic barrier of 50,000 hours flight time in total for this type of aircraft in service with the French civil defence. The event was officially celebrated a few days later, on 20 June 2007, at the Paris Air Show in the presence of Henri Masse, head of the French Emergency Preparedness Directorate (DDSC). The occasion was all the more significant in that the Sécurité Civile helicopter squadron also celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, having been inaugurated in November 1957 with a modest fleet of two Bell 47G2s.
These predecessors to today’s EC145s have since given way to a fleet of forty or so helicopters operating from 22 bases spread throughout France, including its overseas territories and dependencies. An additional seven detachments operate on a seasonal basis during the summer and other holiday periods. For many decades, the Alouette III served as the workhorse of the Sécurité Civile. Renowned for its robustness, reliability and performance, the Alouette had become something of a legend over the course of time. So much praise was heaped on this aircraft that people started to believe it was immortal. And yet… When the 1990s came around, the Sécurité Civile issued a request for proposals for an aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Alouettes. The EC145 was chosen and the Sécurité Civile ordered 32, thus becoming the launch customer for the new-generation twin-engine helicopter. The first aircraft entered service in April 2002. Three years later, the entire batch had been delivered, marking the end of the Alouette era.
Since its entry into service, the EC145 has fulfilled its promise with an availability greater than 95% and performing a wide variety of missions, from sea rescue and medical evacuation to fire-fighting and high-mountain rescues. Indeed, around a quarter of its missions are conducted at high altitude, a fact that demonstrates the aircraft’s exceptional level of performance. The EC145 is also appreciated for its spacious cabin which provides greater flexibility and efficiency for rescue missions. The fleet of French civil defence helicopters helps to rescue approximately 10,000 persons every year.