Saving Lives by Tapping Into The Emergency Toolbox
In the event of an accident, the team has set procedures and a preplanned objective to get victims to the surface in time for local emergency responders to take over, usually within 15 minutes or less. "Time is critical," says McHugh.
Professional rescuers judge their performance by what they call the "Golden Hour," the longest amount of time that should pass between trauma and treatment. Rescuers say that patients who make it to a hospital in time have a better chance of surviving a life-threatening injury than those who take longer. As the clock ticks away, untreated trauma becomes more difficult to control.