AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE
It often comes as a surprise to people that the Air Ambulance Service is not paid for by Government. Like the lifeboat service, funding is entirely by voluntary donations, however, unlike the lifeboat service there is no central charity, Each area must seek its own funding.
This year the Parish Council again made a donation of £500 to the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance
Statistics
- The WNAA is unique amongst air ambulance services in this country being the only one to use the state-of-the-art Agusta 109 helicopter (the fastest civilian helicopter money can buy).
- The helicopter has a cruising speed of 180mph, a top speed of 200mph and can be airborne in 45 seconds. Such speed can be the difference between life and death.
- Since its launch in 2003, it has become the UK’s busiest air ambulance by attending over 5,200 calls.
- The service costs £1.4 million a year to operate; approximately £3 per minute.
- The service responds to an average of 110 emergency calls per month.
- From its base in Coventry, the helicopter can reach anywhere in Milton Keynes within 12 minutes.
- The service operates 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year, flying in daylight hours in winter and 8am–6pm in summer. The goal is to provide a 24-hour a day service. Only funding inhibits this presently.
- People who have an accident outside current flying hours have a considerably reduced chance of survival in the case of a serious accident, as every minute is precious in these circumstances.
- In total there are 3 pilots, 12 paramedics and 12 doctors (all but one of our doctors volunteers their time). Some of our paramedics have undertaken pioneering further training in attending a university course in critical care and are subsequently very highly qualified to carry out medical responsibilities.
- Alongside its resident population it also caters to a transient audience of over one million people per day
- It covers the largest and busiest section of motorway network in the UK offering a life saving service to the M1, M5, M6, M40, M42 and M45 and major A roads such as the A1, A5, A14, A45, A46, A509, A605.
- It is the UK's leading Air Ambulance service being the only one in possession of the Agusta 109 Helicopter the fastest civilian helicopter in operation and one of only three in the UK at present to routinely carry on board a doctor (consultant or registrar) specialising in Accident & Emergency. This means more lives saved.
- It is associated with every major hospital from Birmingham to Milton Keynes and Oxford.
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So How can you get involved?
There are a number of active ways both large and small to support this charity. Please call us or log on to www.wnaa.co.uk
Andy Williamson: 02476 639043 airambulance@andy-williamson.co.uk or Tracy Grunwell: 07825634103 tracy@wnaa.co.uk