The Jet Suit Paramedic

Andy Mawson, director of operations and paramedic at GNAAS. Andy has been with GNAAS since 2010 having previously worked as a rapid response paramedic for the North East Ambulance Service, mainly around Newcastle. Seeking a new challenge, he joined the team and says he has not looked back. “I had seen the air crews in action and I just wanted to be a part of the team. It’s all about being able to offer the best level of care for the patient.” When Andy isn’t working he enjoys spending time with his family, hill walking and fitness training. Event Overview A collaboration between Gravity Industries, which has developed and patented a 1050 brake horsepower Jet Suit, and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), resulted in a test flight at Langdale Pikes in September 2020. The test saw Gravity Industries founder and Chief Test Pilot Richard Browning fly from the valley bottom to a simulated casualty site on The Band, near Bowfell. The simulated casualty site would take around 25 minutes to reach by foot. The Gravity Jet Suit is able to cover that distance in 90 seconds, opening a range of possibilities in the emergency response arena. The ground-breaking exercise was the culmination of a year of discussion between GNAAS and Gravity Industries. Andy Mawson, director of operations and paramedic at GNAAS, identified the Lakes as a possible location for a Jet Suit paramedic after hearing of Mr. Browning’s work and then studying the charity’s own call-out data. Mr. Mawson said the exercise had demonstrated the huge potential of utilising Jet Suits to deliver critical care services. With the test complete, GNAAS and Gravity Industries are now exploring the next steps in this collaboration. If you wish to donate you can do so here - https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co...