Helicopter Rescue
Helicopter Rescue.
We often get asked whether helicopter rescue is covered. Well, here’s the short answer – but it’s quite a long one:
Medical Rescue
Let’s start with what’s covered in terms of Medical Rescue. This is covered as a standard component part of your Emergency Medical and Associated Expenses cover which you’ll find in the policy details in our Download Zone. It’s included in your Emergency Medical cover but this is only covered in a medical emergency. So if you get lost, or just want a lift back to the hotel in a chopper, forget it, we’re concerned with rescuing you when you’re ill or injured.
Helicopter Rescue
Since we’re not the rescue service and won’t be on the scene (that’ll be a local organization such as ski patrol or mountain rescue) it’s really up to those attending you at the scene to decide how you should be evacuated. If they decide that a helicopter is the only safe way to evacuate you and get you to hospital, and such a service is available locally, then that would be covered. However, it’s been our experience that if you’re going into very remote areas then if you have an accident, you’re as likely to be rescued by canoe or on the back of a yak as you are by a helicopter, it depends on the location and the availability of helicopter rescue services. Remember, up the Congo or the Amazon, helicopters are in short supply.
Additional Rescue Cover
If you’re going into a remote areas and are concerned about canoes or yaks being the only locally available rescue systems and would like greater peace of mind (remember, we can cover the cost of rescue, when medically necessary, but we may not be able to influence the methods available in remote areas) then membership of an organization such as Global Rescue may well be worth considering. Organisations like Global Rescue can pluck you out of remote areas where the locals may not have the facilities, and take you to a hospital from where we will be able to pick up management of your case.
Services like Global Rescue can be acquired for what will likely be a very small proportionate increase in the overall cost of your adventure – prices for extraction to a medical facility start from as little as $119.00.
Indeed, for certain destinations or adventures we may insist that you acquire membership of a rescue company like Global Rescue.
You can find some other useful information regarding sports that we cover in our Sports Information Library.
The DOGTAG Team
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