March 11, 2015
RACQ CareFlight Rescue helicopters averaged six missions a day over the past week to deliver care across southern Queensland.
“Normally we average three to four missions a day across our bases,” CareFlight Co-ordination Centre Manager Brian Guthrie said today.
“So to say that we’re busy is an understatement.”
Last week CareFlight helicopters flew north to Agnes Water to pick up a boy injured in a trail bike crash, east to Fraser Island for a diving accident and west to Mungindi on the NSW border for a teenage girl who had a horse fall.
“The crews spent a total of 115 hours completing missions last week, an average of more than 16 hours a day,” Mr Guthrie said.
“The Mungindi mission alone was a 660km round trip that took nearly seven hours, two refuels and approximately $5000 in aviation gas to complete.”
CareFlight Fundraising Manager Leanne Angel said that on average, each mission costs more than $12,500.
“So last week’s missions cost more than half a million dollars,” she said.
“It’s a small price to pay for saving lives but we couldn’t continue to fund this lifesaving service without community support.”
