Paramedics Test Jetpack For Daring Mountain Rescues

It could cut a grueling trip up a mountain down to a 90 second flight.

Jetpack Paramedic

The Great North Air Ambulance Service, a UK registered charity dedicated to providing helicopter emergency services, is testing a jetpack made by Gravity Industries to one day allow paramedics to fly up a mountain to provide first aid, the BBC reports.

A jetpack could allow paramedics to soar up the mountain in 90 seconds rather than hiking for 30 minutes, according to GNAAS director of operations Andy Mawson.

"In a jet pack, what might have taken up to an hour to reach the patient may only take a few minutes, and that could mean the difference between life and death," he told the BBC.

I Am Iron Man

Gravity Industries, led by founder and daredevil Richard Browning, has made headlines over the last couple of years for completing several flights inside an "Iron Man-style" suit and even setting speed records.

Browning completed a demonstration exercise in the UK's Lake District as part of the collaboration.

"If the idea takes off, the flying paramedic will be armed with a medical kit, with strong pain relief for walkers who may have suffered fractures, and a defibrillator for those who may have suffered a heart attack," Mawson told the BBC.

READ MORE: Jet suit paramedic tested in the Lake District 'could save lives' [BBC]

More on the jetpack: Watch “MythBusters” Host Adam Savage Fly a Titanium Iron Man Suit