Mount Isa’s RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew came to the aid of a record 96 people last Financial Year, outstripping their previous record of assisting 56 people.
It was a significant contribution to an overall record 2022-23 Financial Year for LifeFlight Australia, with the service’s rescue helicopters, Air Ambulance jets, Critical Care Doctors, Flight Nurses and Paramedics helping 7,349 people in need.
The north-west’s rescue chopper team spent more than 174 hours flying, often travelling vast distances to reach people, due to the remote nature of the region.
Missions varied from accidents to animal attacks but the most common reason for the crew to be tasked, was to assist in searches.
During the December wet season, the Mount Isa chopper crew rescued eight people in less than a week.
One Search and Rescue (SAR) mission saw the crew locate and airlift five people who spent three days, including Christmas Day, stranded when their vehicle broke down in a flooded area between Mount Isa and Lake Nash.
Other outback drivers became bogged, stranded far from emergency assistance.
During dry season, motorists and tourists became lost, ran out of fuel, or both.
“In regional and remote Queensland the road and weather conditions can be unforgiving so before you hit the road make sure you’ve planned your journey, make sure you know where you’re going and the conditions that could impact that route,” said RACQ spokesperson Lauren Cooney.
The top mission categories in 2022/23 Financial Year for the Mount Isa RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter were:
1. Search (14 missions)
2. Motor vehicle incidents (10 missions)
3. Abdominal (7 missions)
4. Falls (6) & Animals (6) & Respiratory (6) & Cardiac (6)
5. Pregnancy (4 missions)
The total cost of the missions performed by the Mount Isa crew is estimated to be $2.4 million dollars, at no charge to those rescued or airlifted.
Motor vehicle incidents were once again high on the list of reasons the Mount Isa RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter was urgently deployed.
”Across the state crashes continue to be one of the main reasons why RACQ LifeFlight Rescue is called out on missions. Last year Qld had its worst road toll in more than a decade. When we look at what’s causing those crashes it continues to be the Fatal Five. That’s speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving distracted, driving fatigued and not wearing a seatbelt, said Lauren Cooney.
“It’s simple. When you’re behind the wheel, make a commitment to get back to basics. Take road safety seriously and do everything you can to get to your destination safely.”
The Financial Year also included the Mount Isa rescue chopper service’s 15-year anniversary.
LifeFlight traces its proud history in Queensland back to 1979 and the service has now come to the aid of more than 81,000 people.
While there have been numerous high-profile rescue missions, much of LifeFlight’s aeromedical work involves Inter-Facility Transfers (IFT) – moving patients between medical facilities – which ensure all communities have equal access to the best possible healthcare, no matter where they are in the state.
“I think that the work we do for IFTs is really important to the people of Queensland – the majority of Queensland is a rural environment and people are a long way from really high levels of tertiary hospital care,” said Dr Jeff Hooper, LifeFlight Director of Clinical Services and Governance.
“Our feeling is that every Queenslander deserves that opportunity to be rapidly transferred to a world class standard of care.”
2,153 missions were performed by the combined fleet of RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopters with the majority tasked by Retrieval Services Queensland on behalf of Queensland Health.
