The French "Sécurité Civile" (Civil Guard), French "Gendarmerie" and the "Landespolizei" (State Police) of Hesse, Germany became the first operators of the EC145 upon receipt of the initial deliveries in April 2002. The "Sécurité Civile" procured the type as a replacement for its aging Aérospatiale Alouette III fleet, winning out against the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin. In November 2006, the "Sécurité Civile" were planning to make greater use of the EC145's IFR capabilities for operations within bad weather and at night time. In 2008, the "Gendarmerie" reportedly stated that the EC145 has a per aircraft availability rate of roughly 90 percent. Out of a total of 32 EC145s delivered to the "Sécurité Civile", three had been lost in accidents by June 2009.