Magen David Adom’s new “Sea-Bulance” already at work

The Magen David Adom’ Sea-Bulance was inaugurated last week at the Kinneret and has already been able to assist the sick and injured, including those who were treated by medics and paramedics on the Sea-Bulance.

Those treated include a man who suffered a severe allergic reaction, a man who felt unwell, a windsurfer who was in distress while surfing and a young woman was injured during a cruise in the Sea of Galilee.

In addition, the Sea-Bulance boat assisted in the rescue of a grandfather and his grandchildren, who were stuck in the heart of the Sea of Galilee due to a technical malfunction in their boat. In another case, MDA EMTs and paramedics assisted the marine police patrol boat in searching for a man who appeared to be drowning in the Sea of Galilee, near the separate beach in Tiberias.

The Magen David Adom Sea-Bulance enables the MDA medics paramedics to arrive with advanced medical equipment to patients while they are still in the waters of Lake Kinneret, thus saving critical minutes, versus cases where the injured person receives medical treatment only when he reaches the shore, The MDA teams on the Sea-Bulance provide a quick response to medical emergencies on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, arriving quickly through the sea.

Last summer MDA medics and paramedics treated a hundred and sixty-two people who had been rescued from the sea on beaches around the country, including seven who drowned on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. MDA did not wait for the next event and launched the Sea-Bulance in order to save lives.

 

The Sea-Bulance, a Whale r500 professional, is resistant to damage that can be caused by rocks and vegetation. It reaches a speed of up to 35 knots (more than 60 km / h), and can pass from one side of the Sea of Galilee to the other in just 10 minutes. The boat, which is designed to carry six people, has advanced medical equipment including a defibrillator, ventilation equipment, stretcher and more.

“The boat is designed to provide medical assistance to all those who need us on the beach and especially in the water, including people who drowned, who are on a boat and feel bad, or those who were injured in a vessel accident,” explains the head of MDA Immediate Response Force, Yossi Halabi.  “The bow of the boat opens and allows a quick and easy bringing the victim to the boat, within the water area.”

“On the Sea-Bulance, several people can be treated at the same time, with medical equipment similar to that on a MICU,” says Gil Moshkowitz, MDA deputy Director General-Operations.

“At the Sea-Bulance, two to three crew members work every shift, medics and paramedics Magen David Adom and a sailor, most of them MDA volunteers in the Jordan Valley, who will be able to save lives, including in cases where the drowning is rescued by the rescuer or the naval patrol. , The boat can reach the coastline, so that the evacuation will be done optimally. “