The SAMU 21 emergency medical service is responsible for coordinating urgent medical response operations throughout the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France, operating from the CHU Dijon Bourgogne and its Hôpital du Bocage complex. As part of the national French Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente network, SAMU 21 progressively developed from a regional emergency coordination center into a major physician-led pre-hospital care system capable of supporting both urban and rural populations across Burgundy. During its early years, aerial medical support relied largely on seasonal military-operated Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters deployed temporarily for highway surveillance and emergency assistance during busy summer periods. A major turning point came in 1987 when the service permanently integrated a dedicated medical helicopter into its operational structure, significantly improving rapid response capabilities and enabling year-round Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) coverage across the department.
The organization continued to expand through the centralization of emergency medical dispatch operations and the integration of community physicians into its call regulation framework, later extending parts of its emergency coordination responsibilities to neighboring territories such as the Nièvre department.
Another major modernization milestone was reached in 2021 with the introduction of an Airbus H145D2 helicopter operated in partnership with
Mont Blanc Hélicoptères. Equipped for advanced critical care transport and rapid intervention missions, the aircraft substantially enhanced operational range, endurance, and onboard medical capabilities for both primary rescue deployments and inter-hospital intensive care transfers. Based at the Dijon university hospital center, the helicopter remains a critical component of the region’s emergency healthcare infrastructure, linking isolated communities throughout Burgundy with specialized trauma and surgical facilities.
Models