UK Rescue Service Tests Jetpacks For Mountain Paramedics

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In the UK, in the Lake District mountainous region, a prototype jetpack is being tested for paramedics in the rescue service. The customer is the Great North Air Ambulance Service, the jetpack developer is the well-known company Gravity Industries, founded by Richard Browning. Medical jetpacks will not replace the air ambulance, but will significantly speed up the provision of assistance in mountainous areas. As the undulating peaks and valleys can often mean that helicopter is unable to safely land close to the casualty, forcing travel by vehicle or foot.

There are two main scenarios where a jetpack paramedic is especially helpful. Firstly, if it is impossible to deliver the doctor to the patient except by helicopter, then the doctor can personally go to him. Secondly, which is more common, when the injury is not dangerous, like a simple fracture, but ordinary rescuers will climb to the goal for at least half an hour. With a jetpack behind you, this can be done in 90 seconds, injecting painkillers and providing first aid until the group arrives.

A paramedic with a jetpack flies directly, ignoring obstacles on the ground, and therefore there is no price for such a vehicle in the mountains. According to Andy Mawson, the head of the rescuers, with such equipment, he will be able to defibrillate the victim at an altitude of 1 km, a maximum of 8 minutes after receiving a cardiac arrest signal. In theory, a jetpack from Gravity Industries can lift its operator to a height of up to 4 km, but so far no one is aiming at such boundaries for safety reasons.

But there is a huge problem – each jetpack costs $ 435,900. And Gravity Industries is still working on a design that will be optimal for paramedics. Most likely, they will have to reduce the power of the system and there is no need to maintain such a high speed of 136 km/h. So, there is still a lot to work on. But the main thing is that a start has been made, and jetpacks made of expensive toys for adults will finally begin to be used with real benefits.

Sources:

https://interestingengineering.com/uk-rescue-service-tests-jetpacks-for-mountain-paramedics

https://www.techcult.ru/technics/8825-britanskie-spasateli-testiruyut-moshnye-dzhetpaki

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