Overview
Last September, on some of the highest peaks in the Lake District, a secret test took place of technology which offered a unique and potentially life saving solution to the amazing team from the Great North Air Ambulance. A British engineering team from an organisation called Gravity had invented a viable ‘Jet Suit’. The suit gave the operator the real capability to fly from point to point at speed, and over terrain creating huge challenges for those on the ground or in the air. The air ambulance team joined the dots, and for areas where helicopter access is near impossible but access by vehicle is limited, wanted to understand if the suit could help doctors and paramedics move from Rapid Response cars to casualties on the peaks efficiently, safely and quickly?
Our commission was to follow the tests, to document the results and to interview the leads from both teams after the trial. We like anyone seeing the Gravity suit in action were seriously impressed, and its capability very quickly confirmed its viability as a potential solution, making hops from ground level to casualties in a fraction of the time taken on foot. One specific test we filmed saw a hike uphill taking 45 minutes over rough terrain covered by the Jet Suit pilot in under two minutes. That kind of time difference for an injured walker or a fallen climber can literally save lives.
The film here is a dramatisation of a genuine rescue mission, shot from the point of a 999 call being redirected by the Ambulance Service to the Air Ambulance dispatcher. Realising that the casualty could not be accessed quickly from the air because of landing issues, he redirects to the Rapid Response car, knowing that it’s Jet Suit Paramedic could make the hop to stabilise the casualty in advance of the mountain rescue team transfer to the helicopter.and hospital. The content was shot from the ground by our team and by a partner drone pilot. Fascinating and exciting to document, with amazing footage, and brought the story to life in this amazing edit. Let’s hope that in the very near future, the people of Cumbria and those who visit can benefit from this amazing piece of technology.
