- Air ambulance has been around since the 1920s, first implemented for military operations
- When compared to land ambulances, air ambulances can reach more remote locations and can transports the patients much quicker
Air ambulances are either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft tailored to transport individuals in need of medical aid and require immediate hospitalization. The main benefit they provide opposed to land ambulances is their ability to transport patients to the required hospital and do so over long distances quickly. There are two different categories of air ambulance: MEDEVAC and CASEVAC (terms from NATO and military). MEDEVACs are stocked with the same equipment a standard ambulance has on hand and have medical staff taking care of the patient en route. CASEVAC are only tasked with transporting the patient.
Treating patients in flight originated within military operations. The first recorded usage of an air ambulance can be dated back to 1917. Since then, air ambulance has been commonplace for taking injured soldiers from the battlefield. Civilian air ambulances can also be dated back to the 1900s with the first recorded flights occurring in the 1920s. Civilian air ambulances generally operate to take care of those in remote locations, where land vehicles would have difficulty reaching them as well as have a long ride to get to the nearest medical center.
