OVER 430 HOURS IN THE AIR, AND COUNTING

As we hit the halfway mark of 2025, CapRescue’s aeromedical team has spent 430 hours in the air – the equivalent of nearly 18 full days – attending accidents, winching patients from cruise ships, transferring a dozen babies to hospital and some of those in very remote areas.

Overall, CapRescue has attended 260 missions across Central Queensland so far this year which in dollar figures equates to over $7 million.

When you think about the helicopter and its emergency response capabilities, you might not always think about the sheer number of interhospital transfers the service conducts. More than 60 per cent of CapRescue’s missions so far this year, 160 of them, have been interhospital transfers moving critically ill or injured patients from smaller regional hospitals to major care centres like Rockhampton.

The aeromedical team has responded to 75 primary incidents so far this year including anything from horse falls to snake bites and farm machinery accidents.

Then there’s always present motor vehicle accidents on our roads. This year 10 have been serious crashes requiring air support from CapRescue. Then there are the 15 search and rescue missions including inland regions, along the coast and in the last six months even from a cruise ship.

CapRescue’s missions are more than just a number. It’s real people who need assistance at possibly the worst time of their lives.

Patients this year have ranged from babies under 12 months – there were 12 babies in total – to a 92 year old, with the most common age group being those in their 20s.

The helicopter services all of Central Queensland, an area spanning about 350,000 square kilometres, and will fly to wherever someone needs them. The map of missions for the year so far is huge with the crew landing at places that are tricky to pronounce, harder to spell and not always found on your average tourist map.

We’re talking about places like Karamea Bank, Camboon, Mt Gardiner, Colosseum, Facing Island, Kunwarara, Glenroy, Jambin, Ogmore, Euleilah, and Couti-Outi. The latter — despite sounding remote — is actually not far southeast of Rockhampton and gave the crew a good tongue-twister during dispatch.

January and April were the busiest months for CapRescue, with 55 and 56 missions respectively. There’s no sign of slowing down for the crews with 36 missions already conducted in June at last count.