Monroe County Fire Rescue (MCFR) and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) have this week taken delivery of the first two of their new “Trauma Star” Leonardo AW139 air ambulances with the first arriving on Monday 25th at their hangar at Florida Keys Marathon International Airport.  The second AW139 arrived the following day, having taken a slightly less direct routing via NAS Whiting Field, where many Leonardo TH-73A Thrasher helicopters (civil name AW119) are operational.

The Trauma Star program is a partnership between the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners and MCSO. Trauma Star provides flights to mainland hospitals for critical patients in need of specialized care.

On average, Trauma Star provides nearly 1,400 flights annually, with three to four flights per day. According to Sheriff Rick Ramsay, Trauma Star is one of the top five busiest air ambulance programs in the United States. The three new helicopters will replace the three Sikorsky S76s, built in 2001-2.

“This state-of-the-art aircraft will serve as the flagship of our life-saving fleet and represents our continued commitment to safety, rapid medical care, and protecting lives,” said MCFR Chief R.L. Colina.

The new helicopter’s range also enables emergency rescues in the Dry Tortugas National Park, almost 113km west of Key West, allowing direct flights to Miami’s critical care centers without  the need to refuel. Additionally, the capacity allows for two adult patients to be flown in one helicopter at a time, something that the current aircraft cannot achieve.

The funding for the new AW139s has been achieved via the County-level infrastructure penny sales tax, approved by a referendum. This sales tax is paid by Monroe County residents and visitors when buying items, not through property taxes.

The new fleet is expected to be in service from October.