Code 3 Metro Dade Bell 412 Helicopter (12602)

Code 3 Metro Dade Bell 412 Helicopter (12602)

This is Item #12602

Scale: 1/64
Release: July 2001
Edition Quantity: 3,000

Air Rescue 3 is the newest addition to the fleet and is a twin-engine, medically configured, rescue-equipped aircraft capable of cruising up to 160 MPH. This Bell 412EP has a range of 500 miles, a gross weight of 11,900 pounds, and two Pratt & Whitney turbine engines providing 1800 horsepower. The airframe is 56 feet long and has a main rotor diameter of 46 feet. The aircraft is equipped for instrument flight, allowing it to operate in severe weather conditions. This helicopter is staffed by four crew members (aircraft commander, pilot and two flight medics) and can be configured to transport up to six injured patients or 15 seated passengers in the VIP configuration. It is equipped with a 250-foot hoist to provide rescue capabilities in areas inaccessible by other means and an external cargo hook for sling-loading equipment and attaching the 250-gallon 'Bambi Bucket' for wild land firefighting operations.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Air Rescue Bureau provides service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to a population of approximately two million and an area of nearly 2,000 square miles. Assistance also is provided to adjoining counties of south Florida including Monroe (Florida Keys), Collier and Broward. From two separate locations, the Air Rescue helicopters handle an average of 1,200 calls annually and have transported more than 10,000 seriously injured patients in the past ten years.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department's Special Operations Division maintains a fleet of four aircraft: three Bell 412EP rescue helicopters and one SW 205 training and support helicopter. The mission of the aircraft and crew includes the transportation of trauma patients, search and rescue, diver deployment, airborne command and observation, wild land firefighting and support to high-rise firefighting operations.