honorable mention
Matteo Busetto italy
title
The challenge to rescue - Dolomites
1-The rescue helicopter crossing a spectacular geological formation of the Dolomites, while retrieving some stucked climbers. This EuroCopter145-T2 carries on board pilot, winch operator, mountain rescue technician, doctor and nurse.
2-Hoist operator retrieves the mountain rescue technician, the last to get back on board, after a demanding rescue mission for an injured mountaineer. Patient, doctor and nurse are already on board, retrieved in turn a few minutes earlier. The aeronautical technician during hoist operations leaves his seat in the cockpit to position himself on the skid outside the helicopter, remaining in intercom communication with the pilot.
3-Doctor and nurse are winched through vegetation onto a vertical rock climbing wall to reach a fallen climber.
4-A German tourist is missing: the emergency operations centre tasks the helicopter with a search and rescue mission. After reaching the area where the hiker could presumably be found, the crew begins to observe the area from above to spot him. Unlike normal rescue operations, in that environment to locate and reach the person in distress are the main difficulties, even before the medical treatment itself.
5-To ensure that inhabitants of the most inaccessible areas receive an adequate level of healthcare, in 2021 a night-time rescue helicopter service was established: this guarantees rapid transport to the most appropriate and equipped hospital 24 hours a day.
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entry description
Providing adequate and effective rescue to people in distress can often be a challenge. But the challenge becomes truly demanding when rescue must be carried out in a hostile environment: isolated mountain trails, huts, rock walls and other inaccessible places out of reach for traditional vehicles. I have documented these special operations carried out by the rescue helicopter operating in the Dolomites, the area considered to be the most fascinating in the Italian Alps (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site).1-The rescue helicopter crossing a spectacular geological formation of the Dolomites, while retrieving some stucked climbers. This EuroCopter145-T2 carries on board pilot, winch operator, mountain rescue technician, doctor and nurse.
2-Hoist operator retrieves the mountain rescue technician, the last to get back on board, after a demanding rescue mission for an injured mountaineer. Patient, doctor and nurse are already on board, retrieved in turn a few minutes earlier. The aeronautical technician during hoist operations leaves his seat in the cockpit to position himself on the skid outside the helicopter, remaining in intercom communication with the pilot.
3-Doctor and nurse are winched through vegetation onto a vertical rock climbing wall to reach a fallen climber.
4-A German tourist is missing: the emergency operations centre tasks the helicopter with a search and rescue mission. After reaching the area where the hiker could presumably be found, the crew begins to observe the area from above to spot him. Unlike normal rescue operations, in that environment to locate and reach the person in distress are the main difficulties, even before the medical treatment itself.
5-To ensure that inhabitants of the most inaccessible areas receive an adequate level of healthcare, in 2021 a night-time rescue helicopter service was established: this guarantees rapid transport to the most appropriate and equipped hospital 24 hours a day.
about the photographer
Medical doctor, working for the italian Emergency Medical Service and Helicopter Emergency Medical service. Discovering photography has awakened in me the dream of exploring people and the world.back to gallery