KILIMANJARO HELICOPTER RESCUE

The Kilimanjaro Search and Rescue was established in Moshi in the year 2016 with a vision of making Mount Kilimanjaro the safest destination on the continent of Africa.

In a seldom and unfortunate turn of events, when a climber falls sick from abrupt illness or an injury while on the mountain, help might be required in the form of airlifting by helicopter rescue and evacuation. That is where the Kilimanjaro Search and Rescue (Kilimanjaro SAR) team comes in.

Kilimanjaro SAR is was founded by a professional mountaineer from Denmark, Ivan Braun. In Tanzania, Kilimanjaro SAR’s helicopter search and rescue services not only serve Mt. Kilimanjaro alone but also Mt. Meru.

With a swift response time of 5 minutes from the time they receive a distress call, it can take an injured climber less than 15 minutes to be already receiving treatment in the helicopter then afterward treatment can proceed at the high altitude medical clinic, immediately upon landing tat the Moshi Airport.

Kilimanjaro SAR’s vows to provide prompt/urgent medical care, response, and evacuation for all-mountain climbers. Kilimanjaro SAR also gives back to the community by offering free evacuation and treatment for guides, porters, mountain staff, and park rangers free of charge through the works of their charitable foundation.

Kilimanjaro SAR Helicopters and Medical Staff

They have high-altitude helicopters capable of landing on any suitable area on the mountain with an average, quick response time for air rescue of 5 minutes.

KSAR has a fully-trained medical team that is able to solve and handle any health problems that may arise while on the mountain even in difficult times and conditions.

Before the establishment of Kilimanjaro Search and Rescue which is a local operator based in Moshi, the nearest town to Mount Kilimanjaro, just a stone’s throw away, helicopter evacuations used to be dispatched from Nairobi which is much further from Kilimanjaro. It was not usually reliable by far and there were long delays, bearing in Mind that Nairobi is in the neighbouring country of Kenya and not in Tanzania

Things are much easier now as, from Moshi, help in the form of a helicopter can arrive in as little as 15 minutes on the mountain.

Apart from the high-altitude helicopters/choppers, KSAR has established a fully equipped high-altitude medical clinic situated at St Joseph’s hospital in Moshi, Tanzania. The high altitude clinic in Africa is equipped and has a medical staff that specializes in high altitude medicine making it evident that safety and the well-being of their clients is their first priority under any given circumstance.

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Kilimanjaro Helicopter Rescue Safety Protocols

In situations of emergency, Kilimanjaro Helicopter Rescue Safety Protocols adheres to the WFR (Wilderness First Responder) protocols whereby it demonstrates that evacuation without helicopter can be achieved thanks to their trained and certified personnel from KSAR.

The Kilimanjaro Helicopter Rescue team follows proper safety protocols.

DO YOU NEED HELP

Experiencing trouble breathing
Constant and unbearable headache
Losing consciousness or feeling confused
Any serious injury that would render you immobile like limb, bone injury or trauma
Any other serious condition that affects your mobility or ability to move

HERE IS WHAT TO DO

Call the KSAR emergency number
Domestic(toll-free) 0800 713 713
International Calls +255 758 222 255
Help KSAR gather important information
Move to the nearest helipad
Wait for evacuation
Help should be on the way in as little as 5 minutes

Kilimanjaro Travel and Rescue Insurance

For you to qualify for Kilimanjaro Air Rescue and evacuation, you need the right insurance that will cover your Kilimanjaro adventure. We recommend having a specialist mountain evacuation insurance policy for your Kilimanjaro climbing adventure that will enable you to do your tour safely with the right insurance cover, not just any travel insurance policy.

Before embarking on your Kilimanjaro tour, you need to be certain that you are choosing the right insurance policy for your climb, as medical evacuation on the mountain is costly.

So what is the recommended insurance policy for Mount Kilimanjaro?

The right insurance policy for Mount Kilimanjaro should cover the emergency evacuation of up to 6,000meters (19685 feet) above sea level. It is important to be sure that it fits that criteria and any other associated medical treatment.

When you book your climb either for Mount Kilimanjaro or Mount Meru, we register a copy of your insurance details and a copy of your passport with Kilimanjaro SAR, and they link up with the insurance company on your behalf. We recommend that you read the small print of your insurance policy carefully before signing up and purchasing it, to determine whether the policy covers your needs properly and whether it allows treatment in a foreign country or they only cover treatment when you are in your home country.

Helicopter Landing Points on Kilimanjaro

Since not all areas on Mount Kilimanjaro are suitable for helicopters to land just anywhere, in some cases, climbers may need to trek with the help of their guides or stretchered to an apt landing area for pick up as the highest landing that is suitable is the Kosovo Hut, located at an elevation of 4900 meters (16076 feet) otherwise, most rescues and evacuations are normally done from Horombo Huts or Barranco Huts by air, while by road, ambulance rescue is done from the Shira Huts on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro SAR and AMREF Flying Doctors

Apart from the Kilimanjaro SAR, AMREF flying Doctors are also another option for air evacuations; the only disadvantage is that it will probably take longer for AMREF help to arrive on the mountain after a distress call than it would take Kilimanjaro SAR help to arrive. This is mainly because AMREF Flying doctors are based in Nairobi, which is a little bit further from Mount Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro SAR is a local specialist air rescue company based in Moshi and can respond in 5 minutes since Moshi is the closest town to Mount Kilimanjaro

From their main base in Nairobi’s Wilson Airport in Kenya, AMREF is capable of providing air ambulance services not only in Tanzania but the rest of Africa.

The good thing about AMREF is that their aircraft are customized to match an ICU hospital to a level that can provide intensive care and are fully equipped to handle any medical situation on board

The AMREF crew is comprised of full-time flight nurses that are fully trained in intensive care and are part-time doctors who are mostly anaesthetists or emergency physicians. AMREF flying doctor is internationally accredited by a Germany based organization called EURAMI due to their maintenance of highest standards of air ambulance transport, evacuation and rescue.

AMREF uses helicopter evacuation and rescue for climbers on Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro.

High Altitude Medicine Clinic

The High Altitude medical clinic located in Moshi town at St Joseph’s hospital is one of its kind and the first in Africa for proving high altitude medical treatment, urgent care, monitoring and assessment services.

The clinic is staffed by professionally trained Doctors that specialize in emergency care, mountain medicine working together with an advisory team that have altitude medicine expertise.

Free first aid workshops and training are conducted for local guides and mountain rangers on Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the amazing charity work.