Toowoomba is LifeFlight’s busiest base in record year

Toowoomba LifeFlight was the aeromedical service’s busiest Queensland base in 2022, with 659 people helped.

The aeromedical missions were performed by the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue and Toowoomba LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service (SGAS) helicopters, which are based at the Clive Berghofer LifeFlight Centre and cover a huge area of the state, from the Darling Downs and beyond.

In 2022, the Toowoomba-based helicopters clocked up 1,046 mission flying hours, the equivalent of being in the air for 44 days and nights.

“These helicopter crews respond to the full range of mission types. Searches, winch rescues, perhaps someone at a rodeo who has fallen from a bull, or a horse-riding incident. Motor vehicle accidents are also high on the list of things we respond to in that area,” said LifeFlight Group Head of Operations Yvette Lutze.

The top five mission categories in 2022 for the Toowoomba RACQ LifeFlight Rescue and LifeFlight SGAS helicopters were: 

1.      Medical/illness (83)

2.      Motor vehicle accidents (74)

3.      Medical/respiratory (not COVID-19) (70)

4.      Cardiac (68)

5.      Neurological (33)

The Toowoomba missions are estimated to cost approximately $16.5 million, but come at no cost to the patients.

Newly released statistics reveal inter-hospital transfers, which enable patients from the region to be airlifted to larger centres to access higher levels of care, make up the majority of missions, but motor vehicle incidents are the second most likely reason for a chopper to be called into action.

The Toowoomba aircraft, with Critical Care doctors and Flight Paramedics on board every mission, were tasked 74 times to the scene of serious on and off-road vehicle incidents, or to urgently transfer hospital patients in need of specialist care, after being injured in a crash.

In some cases, such as a car rollover on the Western Downs in August, there were multiple patients with serious injuries and both choppers were needed on-scene.

“It is really disappointing to know that crashes were one of the main reasons these helicopters were sent on their missions in every region. We know that the road toll hit 299 last year; it was our worst road toll in more than a decade,” said RACQ spokesperson Lauren Cooney.

“When you are behind the wheel you just need to focus on getting to your destination safely, you don’t want to be meeting one of these crews on the side of the road.”

2022 was a record year for LifeFlight Australia, with 6,978 people helped by RACQ LifeFlight Rescue and LifeFlight SGAS helicopters, Air Ambulance jets, Critical Care Doctors, Flight Nurses and Flight Paramedics.

LifeFlight Australia was able to achieve these record results despite COVID-19 impacting staffing levels, aeromedical crew availability and operational capability more in 2022 than any other year of the pandemic, making last year the most challenging in the service’s proud history of providing vital rescue and retrieval services.

“It’s a significant figure, it reflects over 20 people per day. These are not just numbers to us, they’re actually people. It’s someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter, and they’re at their most vulnerable. That matters to us. It’s not something that we take lightly here at LifeFlight,” said Yvette Lutze.

“Every year the demand for this service grows, and as a result we need to grow, and our capability change with it. The things that we invest money in includes training for our crews, upgrades of aircraft and purpose-built roll equipment and of course infrastructure, ensuring that our bases are suitable and fit for purpose for the kind of operations that we conduct.”

A new multi-million dollar base, paid for by funding from the Australian Government, LifeFlight and significant community fundraising, is currently under construction in the Maranoa region.

Work is well underway on the new Emergency Response Facility, which will be home to Roma’s LifeFlight SGAS helicopter and crew. 

Roma LifeFlight SGAS aeromedical crews came to the aid of 78 people last year, with on and off-road motor vehicle incidents the number one reason for the chopper to be tasked.

The top five mission categories in 2022 for the Roma LifeFlight SGAS helicopter were:

1.      Motor vehicle incidents (17)

2.      Fall from animal (7)

3.      Cardiac/chest pain (7)

4.      Animal attacks (5)

5.      Burns/scalds (4)

“The people and communities of the South West region are so fortunate to have the rotary wing aeromedical capability fully funded through by the gas companies through the LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service,” said Yvette Lutze.