Suffolk To Bolster Police Medevac Fleet: Bellone

RONKONKOMA, NY — Suffolk officials announced Tuesday a twin-engine police medevac helicopter recently brought back in service, as well as the purchase of a new helicopter, to ensure the department has a fully-operational fleet for the summer — the busiest time of the year for maritime activity.

The county is purchasing a new twin-engine medevac helicopter to replace a 20-year-old single-engine helicopter. It will accommodate a pilot, co-pilot, and flight medic who can perform advanced life support while in flight to the hospital.

The department's aviation unit, which covers 912 square miles of land and 1,461 square miles of water, is "critical for medical transport, infrared search, maritime search and rescue, fire observation and mapping, crime scene photography, vehicle pursuits, pre-and post-storm aerial damage assessment, and more," officials stated in the release.

County Executive Steve Bellone and Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison made the announcement at the department's Aviation Section at Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma. They were joined by Pat Beckley, commissioner, of Suffolk County Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services, and the Legislature's Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey.