July 18, 2024
Toowoomba was LifeFlight’s busiest base during the past financial year, with chopper crews coming to the aid of a record 891 people.
Across the whole of the LifeFlight network, 8177 people were helped, up 11.2 per cent on the previous period, ie. one person every 64 minutes.
Here are statistics for the bases that regularly send helicopters into the South Burnett:
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TOOWOOMBA
Toowoomba is home to two LifeFlight rescue helicopters which helped 891 people, up 22 per cent on the previous period.
The crews clocked up 996 flying hours and 965 missions.
The Roma SGAS helicopter crew, also based at the Clive Berghofer LifeFlight Centre in Toowoomba, helped another 58 people in 96 missions and notched up 168 flight hours.
Top aeromedical missions were:
- Motor vehicle incidents – 102
- Cardiac – 94
- Animal-related – 39
- Search and rescue – 11
NM. The Surat Gas Aero-Medical Service (SGAS) partners with LifeFlight to donate 150 flying hours each year to assist the local community with aeromedical coverage.
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SUNSHINE COAST
The Marcoola-based LifeFlight helicopter helped 600 people, up 19 per cent on the previous financial year.
The crews clocked up more than 967 flying hours and 628 missions.
Top aeromedical missions were:
- Motor vehicle incidents – 100
- Cardiac – 71
- Search and rescue – 24
- Animal-related – 8
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BUNDABERG
The Bundaberg-based LifeFlight helicopter helped 267 people, down 28 per cent on the previous financial year.
The crews clocked up 668 flying hours and 416 missions.
Top aeromedical missions were:
- Cardiac – 37
- Search and rescue – 36
- Motor vehicle incidents – 30
- Animal-related – 12
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LifeFlight maintains a fleet of helicopters, air ambulance jets and specially trained medical teams across Queensland, working in conjunction with QAS paramedics,
The data released this week shows helicopter crews across the network completed 3378 missions during the past financial year.
Helicopter crews helped a total of 5313 people, up 131 per cent, and the choppers spent 5159 hours in the air.
Overall, there were 158 missions for animal-related injuries while search and rescues totalled 59 and motor vehicle accidents increased by 156 per cent to 710.
