Hot Cares Christmas – Amazing Volunteer Rescue Team Gets Costs Covered This Festive Season

According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 1.3 million people die each year worldwide as a result of road traffic crashes and 93% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low and middle-income countries, even though these countries have only 60% of the world’s vehicles.

Incredible numbers and it’s no surprise to hear that South Africa is among the worst countries in the world, with regards road death numbers, making this story even more important.

It reached us via Peter, who is a member of a rescue team of volunteers, who patrol the N3 highway between Villiers and Van Reenen’s Pass during peak travel season, such as this upcoming Christmas. The Warden area within that is considered one of the most dangerous stretches of road in South Africa, because it is straight and people often fall asleep at the wheel.

“I am writing to you guys as a last resort, as we fear that after 15 years we might have to stop servicing the public on the N3, as we have no money left to move forward,” he said.

They go down approximately five times a year and typically stay in basic accommodation for two days then come back. They are generally a team of 4-6, which includes two rescue technicians who are medically proficient, 2-3 highly-qualified paramedics, and most times a trauma doctor. They have at their disposal four helicopters from Johannesburg and Bloemfontein and also have a trauma counsellor on most trips.

“Some scenes, as you can imagine, are pretty hectic,” said Peter.

“None of our professionals have ever been paid for any trip and they do this as a way to give back to the community for the privilege they are afforded to help people. Many a time we have treated patients for two hours on our own with multiple casualties, before any other help arrives.”

The Netcare staff put in for leave every time they go down and the response car from the Free State (the Netcare regional manager) joins the team at his own cost.

“Please accept that I am by no means asking for the full amount, but any monthly contribution would be greatly appreciated,” said Peter.

Wow! People like this who give of their own free time just to help others in serious need are truly special and we take our hats off to Peter and his team.

Hot Cares was adamant that we wanted to help, so we didn’t hesitate when this request came across our desk, particularly as we head into peak season, and the roads get even more dangerous.

The cost per trip for the team is approximately R15 000, which includes accommodation, petrol, food, medical supplies, toll gates, and rescue supplies, and Hot Cares would like to step in to cover that for two trips in the coming months.

On top of that, we believe the team is also looking for their own AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machine, so we’re going to be throwing that in, as well, as a bit of a sweetener.

Total value – approximately R50 000!

We hope this goes some way to contributing to the incredible work of these amazing people this festive season. You guys are inspiring!