ØRSTED SUPPORTS JET SUIT PARAMEDIC TRIALS
As part of Ørsted’s commitment to health and safety, it sponsored a feasibility study to explore the innovative use of Jet Suit paramedics for the wind industry.
Ørsted partnered with Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and Gravity Industries in the UK to trial the viability of the innovative technology as a potential way to improve emergency services and enhance renewable energy operations at offshore wind farms.
Jet Suit paramedic trial in the Lake District.
Photo Credit Stuart Bolton.
“We think the Jet Suit paramedic will speed up the response to some hard to access patients in the Lake District and allow us to reach more patients. But in order to know for sure, we are putting it to the test,” said Andy Mawson, Director of Operations at GNAAS. “Thanks to Ørsted, this incredible dream could become a reality.”
The new technology has the potential to provide significant benefits, not only for emergency responses in the wind industry, but also as another way for technicians to safely transfer to and from offshore structures.
“With safety at the forefront of everything we do, we want to explore ways of getting emergency help to our colleagues in times of need,” said Peter Teglman Schiøler, Product Owner for O&M Logistics at Ørsted. “With the trial together with Gravity and GNAAS we aim to bring the Jet Suit technology closer to the offshore wind industry.”
COLLABORATING FOR GROWTH PLAYBOOK
The pioneering project is training paramedics to use life-saving jet suits to reach people in remote places experiencing a medical emergency in a fraction of the time it would take by car, foot or even helicopter.
While initially being tested in the rugged terrain of the UK’s Lake District, Ørsted sponsored the feasibility study with the hope that learnings from the project could be applied to offshore wind farms’ emergency response systems in the future.
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The 3D printed suit developed by Gravity Industries has a 1,050 horsepower system powered by five mini jet engines – two on each arm and one built into a backpack.
While trials are still in their early stages, training has already enabled one GNAAS paramedic to complete their first free flight, safely operating the Jet Suit unassisted, with more paramedics being trained.
The main goal for the Jet Suit paramedic would be on-site triage and urgent casualty response that could drastically improve patient stability and survivability.