July 11, 2016
RACQ CareFlight helicopters will no longer be flying their life-saving missions into the South Burnett … but there’s no need to panic! From this week, they’ll be known as LifeFlight helicopters instead.
Chairman Rob Borbidge made the announcement in Brisbane on Monday, saying the new name reflected a renewal phase for the company which is celebrating its 35th birthday this year.
However, he was quick to assure Queenslanders the change was in name only.
“It’s business as usual today at LifeFlight,” Mr Borbidge said.
“The change of name is also necessary to reduce confusion in the community and the market place with CareFlight NSW, which started around the same time as us, but which is a totally separate organisation and different charity from CareFlight Queensland.”
Mr Borbidge was joined at the announcement by CEO Ashley van de Velde who started as an aircrewman with the Gold Coast Helicopter Rescue Service in 1981.
He said LifeFlight’s great partnerships with Queensland communities, especially in regional and rural areas, would remain and the organisation would continue to work closely with all of its partners – including long-time naming rights partner RACQ – to save lives … anyone, anywhere, anytime.
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In 2015-16, CareFlight flew 1864 missions from its five rescue bases, up 32 per cent on 2014-15.
More than 900 of these airlifts were performed in the Wide Bay-Burnett region.
There was 278 missions flown in the South Burnett; 265 along the Fraser Coast; 149 in the North Burnett; 114 in the Bundaberg region; and 112 in Gympie.
The top five missions types for all CareFlight bases were: cardiac conditions (327); infections/serious illness (145); falls from animals/ladders/climbing (144); stroke/neurological conditions (99); and respiratory conditions (93).
