Through our Chairman’s Fund, we recently donated six hi-tech night vision goggles and helmets to the value of R1,145,000[1] to the SA Red Cross Air Mercy Services (AMS) who work in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. AMS perform air rescue operations from their base in KwaZulu-Natal working hand in hand with local Emergency Medical Service (EMS). AMS has introduced the use of Night Vision Systems into its helicopter operations to provide a 24-hour emergency helicopter service to the communities of KwaZulu-Natal.
We spoke to helicopter pilot Kim Watchurst to find out exactly what it’s like to fly for AMS and how the night vision system has made a difference to their night-time rescue operations.
AMS in action
Since AMS was started in 1966 it has expanded its fleet and services to give complete emergency aero-medical and rescue services to KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Limpopo, as well as health outreach programmes to more remote communities, who previously had little to no access to basic healthcare services.
The main purpose of an AMS pilot is to transport qualified Emergency Medical Practitioners to help patients who are critically ill or injured. Kim says that she is simply ‘the driver’. “It is these brave souls who deserve all the recognition. They are the ones who actually save the lives. They see so much tragedy and yet they manage to salvage hope out the wreckage of disaster every day,” says Kim.
While you may picture Kim flying out many times a day, the truth is every mission takes at least 2-5 hours. AMS is a 24-hour service with pilots and crews working around the clock to make sure every call is answered no matter what time of day it is.
Even though AMS now has the night vision system to illuminate their night-time Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) operations, Kim says that the weather is still their greatest obstacle. “When a call comes in, we have to decide on whether we can safely fly out or not. We have to, at all times, make sure that we can get the patient to a hospital and the last thing you want, is to be en-route and the weather turns bad, putting everyone on board in danger.”
Lighting up the night
When compared to provinces like Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal is pitch black when the sun goes down. There is very little light once you head beyond the Durban city limits. “Johannesburg and Pretoria are lit up like a candle,” says Kim. “But in Durban, as soon as you head a little north or inland, the lights go out.”
AMS started looking for financing for night vision goggles around two years ago. “The introduction of the night vision system have literally doubled the amount of hospitals and clinics we can visit,” says Kim. “It’s really amazing what we can now see at night. Thanks to Anglo American, our night-time HEMS operations have been revolutionised allowing us to see the lay of the land even in pitch black conditions. To put it into perspective, when there’s a full moon, the light is almost blinding with the goggles on. The night is no longer an obstacle.”
Night vision goggles essentially strengthen existing light by up to 10,000 times. For the goggles alone, the cost can rise up to R200,000. It doesn’t stop there though. Each pair of goggles needs to be fitted to a specialised helmet, which is an additional cost of about R40,000. Not to mention the cockpits of the helicopters need to be equipped with special lighting to accommodate for the goggles, which adds to the cost.
With this, AMS has become the first civilian organisation in South Africa to apply night vision goggles in its HEMS operations. This is a big deal as night vision goggles were originally developed for military use and have stayed in that sector for many years. The use of these goggles for night time emergencies is a no brainer and seriously increases organisations like AMS’ ability to save lives. Disaster doesn’t wait when the sun goes down, and that shouldn’t stop us from making a real difference.
[1] Including the cost of training the pilots in how to use the equipment
