Using the EC145 for our rescue missions at sea has allowed the French rescue coordination centers to increase the amount of missions they entrust to us. This aircraft has enhanced our operational capabilities and our credibility.” This is the assessment of Jean-Pierre Schuller, head of operational resources at the Civil Defense’s helicopter unit. Every request for assistance at sea is centralized through the rescue co-ordination centers, which then allocate each mission to the armed forces or to public safety organizations such as the French Gendarmerie, Customs and Civil Defense. The nearest, most suitable and available means of rescue is then dispatched. A few requests also come from more local sources such as first-aid posts. “Lots of rescues can take place just 100 or 200 meters from the shore, when swimmers or surfers are swept away by big waves,” Jean-Pierre Schuller points out.
Fourteen of the Civil Defense’s thirty EC145s are currently assigned to rescue missions at sea: One aircraft at each base along the French coast, and another in Guadeloupe. And three Ecureuils, which can also be equipped for forest firefighting duties during the summer, provide back-up when demand is at its highest. In 2007, these aircraft notched up 979 flight hours performing 1,121 rescue missions at sea—some 9% of the total missions carried out by the French Civil Defense last year.

100 Nautical Miles in All Conditions
“Once upon a time, these missions at sea were mainly the responsibility of the navy and the air force, but the EC145’s performances and equipment now give us an almost all-weather capability. We can perform missions as far out as 100 nautical miles from the coast, which is why our services are being called on more and more. We can fly to the rescue using instrument flight rules, and then carry out the mission under visual flight rules or using night vision goggles,” Jean-Pierre Schuller explains. “Given that laminar flow creates a calm atmosphere just above the sea, our only real limitation is wind speeds exceeding 50 knots when we start up. The flight crew decides if the mission can go ahead. We are ready to take off within 30 minutes at most by day and one hour by night.”
You don’t have to read between the lines to see that Jean-Pierre Schuller has full confidence in the EC145 and the safety that it provides. The aircraft has numerous features which make it ideal for rescue assignments: A winch that can be lowered as far down as 90 meters with a maximum load of 275 kg, a user-friendly instrument panel, exceptional flight handling qualities and the permanent assistance provided by the autopilot, which offers excellent stability during winching operations, in particular. And given his many years of experience, Jean-Pierre Schuller definitely knows what he’s talking about!