Every day, people are injured in accidents or develop life-threatening illnesses that require immediate care and transport to the nearest hospital. In California, these situations often require an air ambulance for fast transport, whether the patient is being moved from one part of the city to the local hospital or from a remote part of a national forest to a major healthcare center miles away.
An air ambulance is often used to transport critical patients between locations because it reduces the time for arrival. Ground ambulances must navigate traffic in California’s largest cities or the rugged outdoor terrain between small towns. Additionally, ground ambulances, while they drive quickly, are no match for the speed of flight of an air ambulance. In critical situations, an air ambulance can be dispatched to rapidly arrive at a scene and then transport a patient to the hospital.
Air ambulances in California are often private companies that work with hospitals located throughout the state. These ambulances may be helicopters, which can land very close to the scene or right at a landing site at a hospital. Helicopters are fast and convenient modes of air medical transportation but they travel shorter distances than fixed-wing planes. Within California, a helicopter transporting a patient across this vast state may need to stop and refuel. Another type of aircraft used for air ambulances are fixed-wing planes, which can travel longer distances and may be used to take patients out of California and into other states, depending on the patient’s needs and the reasons for the transport.
California air ambulances carry many types of medical equipment necessary to help patients in need. Some patients who have critical injuries may need the services of an air ambulance with advanced cardiac life support and that carries personnel who have advanced training in this type of care. There are also air ambulances that provide non-emergency transportation for patients who are traveling between facilities but the distance is too great to tolerate riding in a car or truck.
Air ambulance companies in California must be familiar with the various types of terrain found in this state, from large cities to hills, valleys, coastline, and everything in between. This makes transporting patients around the state of California an exciting task that is not only safe, but rapid and prompt.
