Air ambulances frequently seen in Ermelo skies
“At times, depending on the patient's injuries, to avoid exacerbating the injuries by transporting the patient on a bumpy road or due to time, it is safer to transport the patient via air.”
ERMELO – The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) has been frequently flying in and out of town to transport critical patients to various other hospitals.
However, this is not HEMS’s only role.
In a media release on Netcare 911’s website issued by Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA), the helicopters transport critically injured patients from the scene of an emergency to hospital in the shortest possible time.
“The crew of the Bell 222 UTs comprise two pilots and an advanced EMS trauma team, including a specialised emergency care practitioner,” it said.
According to a local paramedic, the protocols to fly a patient begins with obtaining authorisation from management for them to approve the helicopter’s departure.
He said in order for the air ambulance to receive authorisation, the patient needs to have life-threatening injuries and it needs to be more viable to transport them via air as opposed to on the road.
“At times, depending on the patient’s injuries, to avoid exacerbating the injuries by transporting the patient on a bumpy road or due to time, it is safer to transport the patient via air,” he said.
Read more about the protocols in the Highvelder newspaper.
