Outreach Crew

At present we draw on the services of specialists in the fields of Orthopaedics , Surgery (General, Plastic, Cardiac, Neurology), Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, Urology, Dermatology, Paediatrics, ENT, Anaesthetics, Orthopaedic Appliances, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Emergency Medicine.

MISSIONS - AIR AMBULANCE AND RESCUE

A typical mission unfolds as follows:

* A medical or trauma emergency situation occurs and the local METRO is activated.

* Based on the information gathered by the METRO control room operators, a call is made to the AMS base either via landline, cell phone or base radio, dispatching the appropriate aircraft (fixed or rotor wing) depending on incident / mission requirement.

Rotor Wing Air Ambulance

* The METRO dispatcher provides the heli crew with info about: incident location, number of patients, types of injuries and resources on scene.

* The helicopter is moved from the hanger to the flight area. A maximum take off time of 5 min is allocated for primary response calls from the time of dispatch.

* A maximum take off time of 10 min is allocated for inter-facility transfers. This enables the crew to upload any specialised equipment required for the specific mission (incubator, ventilator etc.)

* At take-off the primary crewmember will make contact with the METRO dispatcher advising them of estimated time of arrival.

* Inflight the crew assists the pilot with navigation and detection of hazards (other aircraft, electrical wires etc.)

* On arrival at the scene, the ground crew or traffic officers secure a safe landing zone. If not already done, advanced life support is initiated on the patient.

* Continuous communication is maintained with METRO control regarding the patient's condition, allowing the referring and receiving facilities to be updated.

* Inflight the patients vital signs are monitored. On arrival at the receiving hospital a concise handover to the awaiting physician is given informing him/her of medication administered or changes in patient condition.

* Ground times at the scene / referring / receiving facility are kept to a minimum to ensure that the aircraft is available for the next emergency mission.

* On completion of a mission the heli crew returns to the AMS base to refuel, clean the interior and if necessary replenish disposable stock, at times responding from the hospital to the next mission.