AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE JUST GOT EVEN BETTER!
£30M FUND-RAISED TO LEASE TWO BETTER EQUIPPED 999 AIRCRAFT
TWO newer, better-equipped air ambulances are now serving the area to give casualties an even better chance of survival.
The Air Ambulance Service, which raises all its income by fund-raising, spent more than £30 million on leasing the two AgustaWestland 109SP aircraft, capable of speeds of up to 185mph, making them the fastest available twin-engine commercial helicopters.
The aircraft – which will be based at East Midlands Airport and Coventry Airport - are the same model as the ones they replace but have medical equipment inside.
From about 18 months ago, the charity has been looking to replace the two ageing aircraft currently serving the region, which are known as the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance and Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.
Air Ambulance Service chief executive officer Andy Williamson said: “These wonderful new aircraft are the culmination of a lot of hard work by our supporters, the charity and our stakeholders and I am very proud to see it come to fruition and of all those involved in making the dream a reality.
“The difference the charity’s two new helicopters will make to the tens of thousands of lives they will touch, directly or indirectly, over the next seven years is very significant and that’s what this charity is all about.
“For us now though, the hard work really begins.
“Our crews are available, 24/7, 365 days a year, but we need the support of the public more than ever before so we can continue to deliver our life-saving, frontline critical care.”
The new helicopters, which will be crewed by a pilot, doctor and critical care paramedic, offer an improved clinical area for the crews to work in while caring for a patient which includes a new syringe pump system as well as better storage for vital lifesaving equipment such as a defibrillator, ventilator, ultrasound and other vital medical equipment.
David Williams, deputy director of operations at East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “It is great news to see the introduction of this replacement air ambulance which will help respond in the region.
“For many years, we have worked very closely with the air ambulance, which provides vital support to East Midlands Ambulance Service at incidents across the Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire areas, helping to support our staff and patients who need us the most.
“This addition will only further enhance the support we can give together as a service to the East Midlands.”
The aircraft, which were built in Italy and fitted out with equipment in this country, will be leased over the next seven years.
The news was welcomed by Laura Palmer, 22, of Leicestershire, who is recovering after suffering serious head injuries in a crash in February
2018.
She was put into an induced coma by the critical care crew from the air Ambulance and flown to hospital.
She is now back driving, working full-time and and has climbed Mount Snowdon since leaving hospital. She said: “My story could have had a very different ending without the air ambulance crew getting me so quickly to the surgeons and specialist team who I needed to keep me alive. Without them I would not be here today.”
■ Visit their website to find out more about the life-saving work of the charity.