Mercy Air Ensures Safety Response for Rio Tinto U.S. Borax Mine

Air Medical Crew Provides Training for Mine’s Emergency Response Team

BORON, CA, Sept. 9, 2024 – Mercy Air recently conducted a specialized landing zone training with U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, California’s largest open pit mine. The training, designed for the U.S. Borax Mine Emergency Response Team (ERT), focused on aircraft safety and the procedures for establishing a secure landing zone for the air medical team should they ever be dispatched to the mine for emergency care.

“Since the mine has a designated area for emergency landing, we reminded them of what a safe zone looks like and focused on safety tips when hot loading a patient into the aircraft,” said Mercy Air Base Outreach Coordinator and Flight Paramedic Ken Sexton. “Loose objects can cause hazards like gurney sheets or baseball hats. Our training helps keep these things top of mind for response teams.”

In emergency patient transport, rapid response and decisive action are crucial in seamlessly moving patients from one place to another with helicopter transport. While patient transport flights can cover great distances in less time than ground transport, one of the most important aspects of a successful mission is creating a secure landing zone for pilots to have enough space to land safely, and load or unload patients.

“The safety of those on our site is our number one priority. Having partnerships like this is a crucial part of our health and safety culture,” said ERT Chief and Safety Specialist Zach Burke. “All ERT members are trained at the emergency medical responder level with a couple being EMTs as we understand the importance of having these types of professionals onsite.”

The ERT consists of volunteers and responds to all fire, rescue, and hazmat incidents onsite besides responding to medical aids with the onsite EMS personnel from Rocky Mountain Care Clinics, all who were involved in the training. With the mine being about an hour away via ground transport to the nearest hospital, in the event of an emergency medical incident such as a stroke or cardiac event, Mercy Air’s services would be critical for patient care.

“I appreciated the knowledge and information the Mercy team provided,” said Steve Prater, Rocky Mountain Care Clinics and full-time paramedic for U.S. Borax. “We hope to never have a medical emergency, but these trainings are a helpful reminder of what to do if it occurs.”

The Mercy Air team is certified and has state-of-the-art specialty care training that provides the same level of care one would receive in the hospital during air medical transport from the scene or for inner facility transports. Equipped with industry-leading equipment and medical devices, the team carries and has the ability to administer blood in flight, provide advanced airway intervention, cardiac and blood flow monitoring, medication administration, and other advanced surgical procedures. Mercy Air isaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) – the highest standards in safety, clinical practice, quality assurance, and training in the industry. They provide lifesaving services without requiring a membership to avoid a costly bill.

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