Yorkshire Air Ambulance medics in the United Kingdom are no strangers to dealing with trauma patients, offering rescue services in many difficult situations.

To better deal with emergencies, these air medics have teamed up with workwear and safety company Arco to design new flight suits. Arco and the medics worked closely, with Arco designers visiting the air support unit to get a firsthand look at what the medics and flight doctors are facing.

The new flight suits developed for Yorkshire Air Ambulance offer extra pockets to hold supplies and have padded knees to protect the medics when kneeling and working with trauma patients in fields or on roadsides. The materials used for these suits are both tear and flame resistant.

"The suits are lighter while still providing all the protection we need to be able to do our job safely and effectively," said John Baxter, a paramedic who provides air medical services. "They have microbacterial layers to ensure any blood and other body fluids cant penetrate and the knees have extra padding."

The air medics and flight doctors for this helicopter ambulance service often work in extreme conditions, and their goal was to help design flight suits that they could rely on while on the job. An independent charity that offers air medical services to millions of people in the Yorkshire area, Yorkshire Air Ambulance operates a couple of helicopters. In the 13 years since its beginning, their air ambulances have transported thousands of trauma patients to area hospitals.

Arco sponsors this life-saving charity, and the company has worked closely with the air medics at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, using their expertise in the field to produce flight suits that would meet their specific needs. At this time, only 20 suits have been made, including five suits for flight doctors and 15 suits for the paramedics working on the helicopter ambulance.

According to Arco's product and procurement manager, Richard Sansom, "Our core purpose is to keep people safe at work, and we've used our expertise in safety product design and development to produce these suits to meet the exact needs of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance team As experts in safety, we are proud to be associated with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance."

Not only have these air medics and flight doctors helped design their flight suits, but they also previously worked with manufacturers to design medical kit bags used to treat trauma patients in flight and on the ground. Over nearly 18 months, the team addressed several important patient care and infection control issues with manufacturers.

The previous bags were too small, and medics complained that items would fall out of the bags during flight. To deal with these problems, the team came up with a design for a self-standing bag that includes a drawer system, keeping important items organized and easily accessible.

The new kit bags and the new flight suits are both currently in use, and their unique design keeps the Yorkshire Air Ambulance medics and doctors safe while helping them provide better care for trauma patients.