“I couldn’t walk and then the helicopters came shooting over the mountain at the exact same time. It was a Hollywood moment,” said Alastair Swinton, an experienced climber who needed rescue from the Koyo Zom mountain in Pakistan.

“I knew if I stayed here, I might lose my arm — or my life,” said Scott Sirles, a fly fisherman in Kamchatka who suffered a horrible dog bite.

“In Africa, when your guide screams ‘run,’ it’s bad,” said Daniel Core, a veterinarian who was attacked by a giraffe in Zimbabwe.

“I was as broken as a person could be,” said Richard Jorgensen, who sustained multiple broken bones following a terrible heliskiing accident in British Columbia.

These are authentic reactions from real people who learned firsthand why a Global Rescue membership was the best choice for them. The experiences of Global Rescue’s members are the best source to define five of the most significant qualities that differentiate its services from all others.

1. Rescue from the Point of Illness or Injury

CEO Dan Richards wanted to build a company that would be there for members and their families during a time of crisis. It had to be better than what other firms were doing.

“When the chips were down, these other companies didn’t have the ability to deliver in the way you’d want for yourself or a loved one,” he said.

That was 15 years ago. Since then Global Rescue has grown into the world’s leading membership organization providing medical, security, evacuation and travel risk services. Part of that growth comes from pioneering worldwide field rescue capability that’s able to evacuate members from the point of illness or injury to the nearest appropriate health care facility.

Richards recounts an early rescue of a member who fell 50 feet into a cactus in a remote area.

“He calls me on the anniversary of his rescue to thank me and remind me that what I’m doing is important,” Richards said. “Global Rescue responds when people are having, in many instances, the worst day of their lives and we do what’s necessary to make it better.”

2. The Right Hospital, Not Necessarily the Closest

If you’re traveling away from home and need to be hospitalized, Global Rescue has the proven capability to direct, or transport, members to any of its global network of medical centers of excellence or back to their home hospital of choice.

“I could not have had better care even if I was home,” said Dr. Harris Silverman, whose sore throat and cold turned into something much more serious while traveling from the Sea of Japan to the South China Sea.

“My oxygen saturation level started to plummet, so I suggested we take a chest X-ray” he said. “The results showed a collapsed right lower lung lobe with what appeared to be a fluid level.”

The ship’s doctor told Silverman his condition prohibited further travelling or flying back to his Florida home. The ship’s doctor said, “It’s time to call in Global Rescue.”

Dr. Silverman was impressed.

“The doctor Global Rescue recommended was outstanding in every way. Her care was spot on.”

If you do have to be hospitalized and you’re far from home, Global Rescue’s in-house staff can deploy to your bedside to help support your care and coordinate your evacuation – no matter what the situation. That was the case for Dr. Silverman when Global Rescue arranged for a local nurse to assist with his care.

“She tracked everything with great attention to detail. She made sure nothing was lost in translation,” he said.

3. Integrated Medical and Security Services

“When you find yourself in a scenario and you need to hit that red button, these are the folks you want on the other side,” said Dan Davala, Fly Fishing Specialist at Orvis.

The Global Rescue operations centers are staffed by experienced physicians, nurses, paramedics and U.S. military special operations veterans. Team members have experience with hazardous environments, peacekeeping operations, Himalayan expeditions and protection services, as well as wilderness skills and crisis response training. The company has more than 20,000 operations under its belt.

That’s the experience that made an impact on a member whose college-age daughter was caught up in the Hong Kong civil unrest.

“The specifics from Global Rescue made the difference,” Daniela Shields said. “I learned things about the Hong Kong protests from Global Rescue that I didn’t hear until the next day on the news. I felt like we were ahead of the eight-ball at every turn.”

4. Call Global Rescue, Not a Call Center

No one wants to navigate through a call center, pressing a series of numbers on the dial pad in the middle of a crisis. When a Global Rescue member calls, a Global Rescue employee picks up the phone and engages with personalized communication, recommendations and responses until the emergency is resolved.

“I was so impressed with the communication and the professionalism. For something minor, I was treated as if I had a major catastrophic issue,” said retired registered nurse Linda Quinn. “The team at Global Rescue was back and forth with me, following along until I was at the point where I said, ‘I can take it from here.’”

5. Travel Prepared

Travelers — adventure, business, personal, solo or otherwise — don’t have to puzzle together a patchwork of sources to sort out entry requirements, immunization updates, safety levels, weather disruptions, civil unrest, or local holiday impacts. Global Rescue’s Destination Reports offer all three components: medical, security and intelligence.

“I carry a Global Rescue membership not just for medical evacuation but security as well,” said Oliver White, professional angler and world traveler. “When I’m going somewhere a little riskier, I call Global Rescue and walk through my itinerary. They give me a country debriefing and local contacts, should I have any issues.”