Prevention is always better than cure. When it comes to air ambulance services, you need to plan well in advance. What if tragedy occurs and you have no clue which ambulance service to look out for?
Know What Air Ambulances Do
First and foremost, you need to know what exactly air ambulances are required for. People rely on air ambulances for a lot of reasons. These are used for transporting people, who are injured in remote locations to hospitals for treatment. Many of them even use air ambulances during medical emergencies.
Secondly, you need to familiarize yourself with air ambulances terminologies. While searching for such services, you might come across many terminologies that might leave you scratching your head and confused.
Some of the common terms that you need to know about are:
- Medevac – This is a military term and refers to the medical evacuation of the sick or injured
- Air Evac – This stands for air evacuation refers to transporting patients via air
- Bedside to Bedside – This refers to full service medical transportation with all medical facilities
- RVSM – This stands for Reduced Vertical of Separation Minimums, and allows for aircrafts to fly at higher altitudes
- LifePort – This refers to multiple medical treatments available inside the air ambulance
Selecting the Right Service
Air ambulances have differed bases for this operations. You can hire their services from any part of the world. To know more about the different bases, you can log on to http://airevacinternational.com/bases-of-operation/ for more information.
Air ambulances companies make use of different types of air ambulances such as:
- Rotary wing aircraft – Which can be used for short distances
- Fixed wing aircraft – Used to transport people stuck in far locations
- Jet planes – These are used to transport patients who require immediate medical attention
- Turboprops – These can be used for mid range or long range travels
The next thing to look out for is the cost of ambulance services. If you think your travel insurance will cover for such costs, then you need to go by your travel insurance once again. Many of the travel insurance companies do not offer air ambulance coverage.
You can easily go online and request for air ambulance services. Make sure you enquire about their staff and the different services they offer. Browse through a number of air ambulance companies and compare the quotes before coming to a final decision.
Check for Reviews and References
Now that you have decided onto the air ambulance service you wish to hire, ask for references. Call up a few of them and ask for their experiences with the company. Next, check for reviews given by customers on the quality of the services they offer.
Pick up the phone or visit their offices and ask questions to get an idea whether they are experienced to handle all types of medical emergencies. You do not want to pay a hefty sum for companies that do not have the latest medical equipments for their patients.
You definitely want the best for your family. Do not compromise on the air ambulance services you wish to hire, especially when it comes to the safety of your family and loved ones.