July 19, 2023
The combined fleet of RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopters performed 2153 missions – a total of 7349 people – during the past financial year.
Bundaberg’s RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew came to the aid of a record 374 people, outstripping their previous record of 306.
Toowoomba was again LifeFlight’s busiest base with the RACQ LifeFlight and LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service crews helping a record 725 people.
Missions varied from medical emergencies to farming accidents, but the most common reason for the crew to be tasked directly to an emergency scene, was to attend serious motor vehicle incidents.
In Bundaberg, 44 motor vehicle incidents required urgent aeromedical response, including on and off-road incidents; Toowoomba crews attended 91 serious motor vehicle incidents.
The top five mission categories in 2022-23 Financial Year for the Bundaberg helicopter were:
1. Cardiac/chest pain (56 missions)
2. Motor vehicle incidents (44)
3. Search (38)
4. Abdominal (31)
5. Neurological (25)
The total cost of the missions performed by the Bundaberg crew was estimated to be $9.5 million, at no charge to patients.
The top five mission categories in 2022-23 Financial Year for the Toowoomba LifeFlight and LifeFlight SGAS helicopters were:
1. Motor vehicle incidents (91 missions)
2. Medical/illness (78)
3. Cardiac/chest pain (67)
4. Respiratory (not COVID-19) (56)
5. Abdominal (40)
The total cost of the community missions performed by the Toowoomba crews was estimated to be $15.2 million, at no charge to patients.
LifeFlight traces its history in Queensland back to 1979 and the service has now come to the aid of more than 81,000 people.
