When someone you love needs major surgery or requires expert level medical attention but flying on a typical plane is out of the question, you have to hire an air ambulance. Just as your local ambulance would pick up your loved one and rush them to the hospital in the case of a local emergency, an air ambulance is designed to speed patients to medical care that is further away.
Most people never imagine having to charter an ambulance flight and it often comes unexpected. You may feel put on the spot to charter the flight right away, which brings on a lot of stress. Take a deep breath and relax. Spend just a few minutes with this checklist of things to be considered when selecting an air ambulance service and chartering the flight.
You can charter an ambulance flight that will take complete care of your loved one so you can focus your worries on them.
1. Will you be able to ride with your loved one?
Most air ambulances will allow at least one person to ride along with the patient since it makes them feel more comfortable and helps relieve their stress during transportation. Make sure to ask all services that you contact if they will allow your or someone else to ride along.
2. Who will be in charge of the patient medically during transport?
It is very important that someone with a medical background remain with the patient at all times while being moved from one medical facility to another. Since patients who require an air ambulance are naturally not in the best of health, make certain that someone will be with your loved one monitoring them every step of the way. From the time they leave their current facility to the moment they arrive in a bed at the new facility, someone should be monitoring them.
Also, there should be at least a nurse on the flight just in case something goes wrong and immediate medical care is needed. Never trust an air ambulance that doesn’t have medical staff on board!
3. What type of plane or jet will be used for the flight?
This is something few people think about when they are chartering an ambulance flight. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your air ambulance service knows best when it comes to the type of plane being used. You have to ask!
If you are flying your loved one hundreds of miles away you need a jet that is approved to fly higher up in the air. You want a jet that doesn’t require frequent stops to refuel and that will fly higher up to avoid turbulence which could create discomfort for your loved one.
You want the fastest flight possible, so make sure to ask about the jet being used and get an estimate of how many stops may be required and how long it may take. This is where you may find one service better than another.
4. Does everyone related to the air ambulance have the proper certifications?
Make sure that you are dealing with a reputable service that is licensed with the proper certification for operations. This is extremely important because you are more likely to have a completely safe, flawless transport with licensed professionals.
Make sure to check into all of these things prior to chartering your ambulance flight. Price comes into play, but safety and comfort are more important.
