Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital operational again

Ljubljana, 22 January - The heliport at UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest hospital, is back in service after it was closed due to repairs since 21 October last year.

Ljubljana Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Heliport at UKC Ljubljana hospital is again in service.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

The heliport is used by the medical air service, the mountain rescue service and also by helicopters that transport patients between hospitals.

UKC Ljubljana announced on Wednesday that the heliport reopened at 6am after the firefighting system was tested on Tuesday and now functions flawlessly.

Initial findings show that the foaming system was not working when tested due to a failure of the foaming agent feeder.

"The problem was caused by a gasket, which water leaking into the foam feeder, resulting in the malfunction that was evident when the system was tested."

The hospital explained that such a fault could not be foreseen as part of regular maintenance work or by the manufacturer. A detailed analysis of the causes of the flaw is under way.

"The analysis is crucial to prevent similar situations in the future by employing appropriate additional measures."

The malfunction of the heliport's fire pump had been discovered during a regular check-up of the heliport's firefighting system.

During the heliport's closure, emergency helicopters landed within the perimeter of the Edvard Peperko Barracks in eastern Ljubljana, a few kilometres from the hospitals.

Patients were then transported to the hospital in an ambulance, which has prolonged total time before they received treatment by around 40 minutes.

Even though there were some objective reasons for the longest closure of the heliport in the last five years, UKC Ljubljana admitted that their efforts to repair the system, although undertaken immediately, were not efficient enough, so the occupational health and safety officer was dismissed.

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