National Association of Air Ambulance Services reports:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">As the golfing season kicked off last weekend with the 2001 Benson and Hedges International Open, the AA supported National Association of Air Ambulance Services (NAAAS) reports that golf courses are among the most common destinations for air ambulance call-outs.
Nigel Webb, chief executive of NAAAS, comments: “Regional air ambulance services are frequently called out to golf courses, with heart attacks and strokes being the most common emergency. This may be partly due to the large proportion of golf players aged over 55 compared with other sports, although both heart problems and strokes can affect people of any age. Air ambulances are often called upon because the patient's chances of survival can be significantly increased if treatment is received as quickly as possible.”
One air ambulance spokesman agrees that air ambulances play a crucial part in reacting to golfing emergencies. He explains: “Call-outs to golf course incidents are so frequent that our teams often have the locations of all local golf courses marked on their wall maps, along with grid references, so that the paramedics can reach the scene in double-quick time.”
Golf courses can be particularly difficult to access for land ambulances due to their large area, uneven terrain and obstacles, such as lakes and sand bunkers. A helicopter, however, can not only access difficult-to-reach areas more quickly but also gives the pilot a better view of the course as a whole, making the casualty easier to spot.
The AA says: “The completion of the UK-wide network of air ambulance services last month means that, reassuringly, golfers are now only ever within a maximum of 20 minutes flying time of an airborne paramedic team, should an accident occur.”</font>
And I thought flying was dangerous!
