- 07 Jan 2020 01:36 PM
- 0
Jump Aero to Get First Responders There Faster
Terrafugia co-founder and president Dr. Carl Dietrich has announced a new urban air mobility (UAM) venture, Jump Aero.
With the tagline, "We will empower our heroes to become superheroes," the company aims to "enable first responders to fly to the scene of an emergency as fast as possible. We will cut emergency response time in half – helping save thousands of lives each year."
Founded by three experienced aviation entrepreneurs, Jump Aero’s mission is to leverage electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft technology to cut emergency response times in half. Jump Aero’s launch product will safely carry first responders to the scene of an emergency at top speeds in excess of 200 mph (173 kt or 322 km/h) and be capable of landing on a typical suburban street.
Jump Aero is developing a very compact high-speed, short range, single-person air vehicle to get a paramedic or other first responder to the point of need as quickly as possible. Arriving in half the time that an ambulance would take could mean the difference between life and death for some.
According to a study published by the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2017, Emergency Medical Services Response Times in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Areas, there are an estimated 37 million 911 calls annually in the US alone, with waits often up to 30 minutes:
Emergency medical service units average 7 minutes from the time of a 911 call to arrival on scene. That median time increases to more than 14 minutes in rural settings, with nearly 1 of 10 encounters waiting almost a half hour for the arrival of EMS personnel. Longer EMS response times have been associated with worse outcomes in trauma patients. In some, albeit rare, emergent conditions (eg, cardiopulmonary arrest, severe bleeding, and airway occlusion), even modest delays can be life threatening. [JAMA Surg. 2017;152(10):983-984]
In addition, state-by-state wait times for ambulances to arrive on the scene of an automobile accident in the US show that response time can be very location-specific, indicating that some localities have a much greater need for first responders to arrive more quickly. According to data from the Department of Transportation, average waits time in Wyoming was more than 35 minutes, and more than 20 minutes in Vermont, Montana, North Dakota and Kansas. Of course, on highways, backups further delay the arrival of first responders. The ability to fly over this or other road congestion would be a major advantage in speeding emergency assistance to the point of need.
“Our goal is to empower our heroes to become real-life superheroes," said Dietrich. "We intend to fly first responders to the scene of an emergency as quickly and safely as technology will allow. Jump Aero is the first eVTOL company focused exclusively on bringing this revolutionary capability to emergency response. It is a privilege for everyone on the Jump Aero team to have the opportunity to develop a product specifically for this critical societal need. We are excited to partner with local communities and first responder organizations to help our heroes save lives.”
The company has been in stealth since its founding in mid-2019, though it was listed as a founding member of the Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI) in October. Dietrich said it has come out of stealth to get a broader range of requirements inputs from its potential customer base. According to the company press release on Jan. 7, 2020, "Jump Aero invites first responder organizations with an interest in learning more about our revolutionary technology to contact us through our website [www.jumpaero.com] for more information."
Initial funding for Jump Aero comes from angel investors with deep experience in the aviation industry. The founding leadership team consists of MIT-trained founders of Terrafugia, Still Water Design, and the Community Air Mobility Initiative.
- Carl Dietrich: Co-founder, President/Chief Designer
- Jeff Myjak: Co-founder, Head of Fabrication
- Anna Dietrich: Co-founder and Director
The advisory board is comprised of:
- Michael Dyment: Founder and Managing Director, NEXA Capital Partners
- TJ Kennedy: Co-Founder, The Public Safety Network
The company has several employment openings listed on its website to expand its team.
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