Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service

The Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service, known as RAC Rescue, provides two dedicated emergency rescue helicopters serving Western Australia.

St John Ambulance supports the role of RAC Rescue by providing critical care paramedics on board and fielding emergency calls through the State Operations Centre.

The St John Ambulance critical care paramedics are highly skilled and trained in intensive care and aeromedical medicine. They play an essential role in ensuring patients receive immediate medical attention while being transported to hospital via the helicopter.

With the introduction of a second rescue helicopter in February 2016, to be based out of Bunbury, the two helicopters now have a radius of more than 250km and cover approximately 95 per cent of Western Australia’s population.

The Emergency Rescue Helicopter service provides emergency rescues for incidents including car accidents, cliff rescues, mining and farming accidents. It transfers critically injured patients from regional centres and is involved in search and rescue missions.

The Emergency Rescue Helicopter is managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and funded by the State Government, and the RAC, which has sponsored the rescue helicopter service since it was introduced in 2003.

To find out more about the Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service, please visit: www.dfes.wa.gov.au