The Sunshine Coast RACQ LifeFlight Rescue chopper has helped save a record number of lives in the financial year, performing 584 rescue missions for everything from heart attacks to car accidents.
The airlifts undertaken between July 2020 and June 2021 were valued at more than $14.6 million, with each rescue’s average cost estimated at $25,000.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue director of helicopter operations Brian Guthrie said the record number was a credit to the highly skilled crews who were on the clock 24/7.
“We’re able to provide that high level of care, to anyone that needs it,” said Mr Guthrie.
“It comes at no cost to the individual and they can call on us anywhere, any time.”
On board the Sunshine Coast chopper during these critical missions is a pilot, aircrew officer, critical care doctor and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) fight paramedic.
Collectively, rescue crews were in flight for nearly 800 hours last financial year.
“We consider RACQ LifeFlight Rescue a vital piece of infrastructure, within Queensland,” said Mr Guthrie.
Overall, the 20/21 financial year was a record for RACQ LifeFlight Rescue’s community helicopters, with 2,113 flights completed throughout Queensland.
Across RACQ LifeFlight Rescue’s helicopters, Air Ambulance Jets and critical care doctors, 6,733 people were saved last financial year — another record for the service.
“We consider it due to, predominantly, population increase within Queensland and additional to that a lot of people are holidaying at home so we have a lot more people on the roads and out and about,” Mr Guthrie said.
The top five patient injury and illnesses for the Sunshine Coast RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter from July 2020 to June 2021 were:
- Cardiac (114)
- Motor Vehicle Accidents (112)
- Neurological (50)
- Falls (35)
- Serious illness/infection (33)
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Approximately one in five missions last financial year was for motor vehicle-related incidents.
RACQ spokesperson Clare Hunter said the rescue chopper service was vital for getting help to people in difficult locations and in a timely manner.
“Distance is a major factor, when it comes to crashes, so we know that the work that RACQ LifeFlight Rescue crews do is lifesaving,” she said.
“If they weren’t able to get to those crashes in time then, sadly, our road toll would be even more horrific than it already is.”
In July last year the Sunshine Coast RACQ LifeFlight Rescue crew airlifted a survivor from the scene of a fatal vehicle rollover on Fraser Island.
More recently in April the chopper flew a seriously injured boy to hospital in Brisbane after he was involved in a motocross crash.
“We are very grateful for RACQ LifeFlight Rescue, but we wish that they didn’t need to attend these crashes,” Ms Hunter said.
In the past year the Sunshine Coast hangar has played host to several different aircraft in LifeFlight’s extensive fleet.
Since early May the Land Rover LifeFlight Special Mission Helicopter has been based on the Coast while the familiar blue and yellow RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter underwent scheduled engineering.
The LR aircraft is part of LifeFlight Australia’s commercial operation, which supports the work of the community helicopter fleet through the profit-for-purpose model and is rotated through the community bases when operationally required.
