10/15/16

Press release on the inauguration of the SMURD Constanta aeromedical base

Constanta, October 17, 2016: Inauguration of the SMURD Aeromedical Base Constanta, a rescue project implemented by SMURD Helicopter Constanta, designed to work in the best possible conditions in the long term, which becomes an integral part of the Emergency Response Infrastructure in the Region of Southeast of Romania.

ithin this project, the SMURD Foundation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Public Health Directorate of Constanta and the General Aviation Inspectorate, has been developed to build a base for the SMURD Helicopter Constanta, necessary to ensure the functionality of an uninterrupted daily work of the aircrew-medical SMURD on alert.

 

The project was carried out by the SMURD Foundation, following financial support from OMV Petrom and ExxonMobil Romania, worth RON 3.48 mn (50% participation from OMV Petrom and ExxonMobil Romania).
The budget of the project, worth a total of 4.3 million lei, was completed from the funds raised in the 2% campaign by the SMURD Foundation and with the support received from RAJA SA Constanţa, the water and sewerage network was completed.

The construction will consist of a landing platform and a hangar for the SMURD Helicopter Constanta and a team of at least 6 people (pilots, aviation technicians, air soldiers, disarming firefighters and medical crew). From this new location, the SMURD helicopter and the alert aero-medical crew will be ready to go 24 hours a day.

Moreover, the aero-medical base provides first-aid and emergency transfer assistance to other specialized centers in the Constanta and Southeastern regions, thus contributing to the development in Romania of an integrated emergency medical assistance system at standards European and international.

The land in the Constanta, Viile Noi area, on which the heliport was built, was made available by the Constanta Public Health Directorate and is intended for the location of the future Constanta Regional Emergency Hospital. The aero-medical base will remain in the administration of the Ministry of Health, having as legal person designated medical operator – Emergency County Clinical Hospital Constanta, which will bear the operating expenses, respectively, according to the law, designated air operator – Ministry of Internal Affairs, through the Unit Special Aviation Authority, General Aviation Inspectorate.

Beneficiaries of this initiative are patients in critical, severely injured states in the area of ​​Constanta County, the South East Region that benefit from the intervention of first aid, intensive care and air rescue teams and need adequate emergency medical assistance and sometimes the transfer of emergency to other specialized medical centers.

The objectives of this project are:

-Increasing the capacity and efficiency of the SMURD Rescue Crew Constanta Air Force emergency medical interventions;
-Improvement of the aeromedical operation of SMURD Constanta in the South-East Region.
-Improvement of the general intervention activity of SMURD in emergency situations and the number and efficiency of SMURD rescue missions carried out on the territory of Romania.

Also, through this initiative, progress will be made in terms of increasing the efficiency of the SMURD intervention activity in the South East Region by supporting the better deployment of missions by first aid, intensive and SMURD air crews .

This is a complex work that involved modern technology. The track is made of a special concrete type BCR5. Meets all safety conditions – external hydrant system, interior, fire extinguishing sprinkler system, smoke sensors, electrically driven and gas-driven smoke traps.

The surface of the enclosed courtyard, enclosed with the fence and control access gate is 20,000 m2 of which:

-3000 m2 concrete platform for landing / helicopter parking;
-400 m2 hangar for seizure and maintenance of the SMURD helicopter, equipped with specific facilities for the operative personnel who will carry out their activity within the new heliport;
-100m2 water house;
-500 m2 landscaping, green spaces, buoyancy systems specific to operators of the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority.

The SMURD helicopter, so useful in rescuing human lives, must be sheltered during winter at a constant temperature. In this regard, it was built next to the take-off runway and a hangar.

The utility of SMURD helicopters has been confirmed by countless national missions. The South East region is very well covered by the points where these helicopters exist, respectively in Bucharest, Constanta and Galati, and the latter covers the counties of Vaslui, Vrancea and Botosani. (Concretely, if there are primary missions consisting of first degree emergencies through a very well-established dispatch center, the crew closest to the scene will arrive at the scene. For example, if the crew in Constanţa is already in the mission, and the time to get to the emergency site is quite high, the crew leaves the nearest point to arrive in time, whether it is in Bucharest or Galati).

Primary missions are usually dispatched by 112 emergency service, and secondary ones are managed from Bucharest for the entire South East. Secondary missions are also very important, because they help to transfer sick critics from small hospitals to the largest ones. There are situations where helicopter intervention is mandatory. Cases are very serious, patients’ lives are endangered and every minute counts. Also, things have evolved in terms of the quality of immediate medical attention on the spot before the patient is transported to the hospital.

The helicopters are airborne by experienced pilots from the General Aviation Inspectorate and equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that can be used to make the first life-saving life-saving operations. That’s why both the helicopter and the on-board equipment must be kept in special conditions, especially in winter, because temperature differences and weathering can affect the quality of the flight.

In conclusion, through this project, we contribute to the development in Romania of an integrated system of emergency medical assistance efficient at European and international standards.

“We are pleased that we can support the SMURD Foundation and their mission to improve the Emergency Medical System in the region. Our involvement in this project is fully in line with ExxonMobil’s policy of focusing on safety and operational excellence, and confirms our company’s long-term commitment to responsible social behavior and support for communities in which we operate ” , said John Knapp, general manager of ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited.

“We consider it important to contribute to strengthening Romania’s capacity to be prepared in emergency situations. That is why we continue the strategic partnership that OMV Petrom already has with the Romanian authorities, providing the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) with specific intervention equipment and expanding the emergency telemedicine network for 9.5 million Romanians. By building the aeromedical base in Constanta we are consolidating a safe climate for the South-Eastern region of Romania, “said OMV Petrom, Sustainability Manager Mona Nicolici.

“The project to build the SMURD Helicopter Landing Platform in partnership with the Ministry of Health is an important initiative for the development of aeromedical activity in Constanta County and in the South-Eastern Region of Romania. This opportunity will support and enable us to fulfill the most good conditions of the missions of the SMURD Constanta crews and will ultimately support the integrated emergency medical care system. In this way, we sincerely thank our partners, ExxonMobil, OMV Petrom and Raja Constanta, who have joined this initiative ambitious, “said Dr. Raed Arafat, President of the SMURD Foundation.

“The construction of the aeromedical base for the SMURD helicopter is a very important project for the Emergency Medical Assistance System in Romania, for the South-Eastern Region of the country and especially for the local community in Constanta. We are next to the rescuers of SMURD Constanta, day life of a noble humanitarian mission, meant ultimately to contribute to improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the city of Constanta. “, General Director Felix Stroe, RAJA SA Constanta.

About ExxonMobil:

ExxonMobil, the largest private oil and gas company in the world, uses modern technology and innovation to support the growing demand for energy globally. ExxonMobil has a top resource portfolio in the industry, is the largest refining and sales company for petroleum products and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. ExxonMobil returned to Romania in 2008 and the local exploration subsidiary, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, was opened in Romania in 2011. For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com.

About OMV Petrom:

OMV Petrom is the largest integrated oil group in Southeast Europe, with an annual oil and gas production of 66 million boe. The Group has a refining capacity of 4.2 million tons annually and has a high efficiency 860 MW power plant and a 45 MW wind farm. On the petroleum products distribution market, OMV Petrom is present on the Romanian and neighboring markets through about 800 gas stations.

OMV, the largest listed industrial company in Austria, owns 51.01% of OMV Petrom shares, the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Economy, holds 20.64%, the Proprietatea Fund holds 18.99% and 9.36% is traded freely at the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

Over the past 9 years, investments for the modernization and consolidation of OMV Petrom amounted to about 10 billion euros. Annually, OMV Petrom’s direct, indirect and induced impact on Romania’s GDP is about 5%.

Since 2007, OMV Petrom has incorporated corporate responsibility principles into its business strategy. So far, the company has allocated over 40 million euros to develop communities in Romania, focusing on environmental protection, education, health and local development. “Andrei’s Country” is the main platform for community involvement.

About RAJA Constanta

“The most precious capital of the counties of Constanta, Ialomita, Ilfov, Calarasi, Dambovita, Braşov and Prahova, RAJA S.A. brings life drops to people’s homes. We are and will always be in the service of the people, always assuring them a vital service without which we can not live. Since its inception, our work has been intended to be a plus to quality of life and an essential link in its existence. Above all, for life, life needs water; as such, our services have and have the goal of improving the quality of water and, implicitly, of life. “Felix Stroe. General Manager S.C. RAJA S.A. Constant

About the SMURD Foundation:

The SMURD Foundation is a non-governmental organization, founded in 2006, as a private, non-profit legal person, supporting, through all developed projects, the activity of Emergency Mobile Service, Reanimation and Delivery, and the development of emergency medical assistance.

The mission of the SMURD Foundation is to improve the quality of life of people living and working in Romania by supporting the development of the integrated medical and technical emergency and first aid system.

The SMURD Foundation operates independently without gaining profit, contributing to the development of an integrated system of healthcare, emergency technology and first aid through sustainable partnerships between empowered institutions such as, but not limited to, The Ministry of Administration and Interior, respectively the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and the Special Aviation Unit, the Ministry of Health, the local public administrations and other companies and bodies responsible and willing to get involved in this.

In order to achieve the goals underlying its foundation, the SMURD Foundation has carried out and carried out various projects, financed exclusively from funds from the annual “2% for SMURD” campaigns and from donations and sponsorships of companies operating in Romania . The projects of the SMURD Foundation at the beginning of the 2% campaign, in 2006/2007, designed to develop this system in full, in collaboration with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and the General Aviation Inspectorate, exceed the amount of RON 20,000,000. Detailed information on the Foundation’s work can be found on the website www.fundatiapentrusmurd.ro.