If you need emergency medical help ...
Every six hours someone urgently needs the help of the Life Flight Trust.
This makes an equipment safety check a vital part of Logan Taylor’s shift on the Westpac helicopter.
‘‘Safety is a huge priority,’’ says crewman Taylor. ‘‘If our equipment fails then we can endanger the people we are supposed to help.’’
And help they do. Since 1982 the Life Flight Trust has flown to the aid of more than 27,000 people.
In the first half of 2016 they flew 691 people to the urgent medical care they needed. That means flying up to four missions a day which doesn’t give the team a lot of down time, not that you would find them complaining.
‘‘We don’t have to motivate people here,’’ Life Flight Trust chief executive Alan Cook says. ’’You get to save lives here and that’s all the motivation we need.’’
Life Flight has a front line crew of 33 who operate the BK117 Westpac helicopter, and J32 Jetstream air ambulance.
Hannah Latta, a paramedic on the helicopter says it’s the pinnacle of a paramedic’s career.
‘‘We get to help people at their most vulnerable, and that is immensely rewarding,’’ she says.
While the front line crew help to keep people alive, it’s up to the 12 staff inside the hangar to keep the service running.
A mission costs on average $2500 and can range from attending road accidents, conducting search and rescue, or intensive care and baby incubator transfers.
The service has to find 50 per cent of the funds to keep Life Flight operational which comes from the community via donations, grants, and sponsorship.
‘‘Fundraising is a constant challenge for us, but fortunately we have amazing supporters who donate to keep our teams flying,’’ marketing and fundraising manager Sebastian Grodd says.
The Life Flight crew has returned to TV One for a second series of their ‘‘hard-hitting’’ documentary series.
The series follows both the air ambulance and helicopter in some of the most challenging flying conditions in the world.
It can be seen on TV One at 8pm on Mondays.