Control staff meet new helicopter
Key staff from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Health and Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) were given the opportunity to have a close up look at Anglia Two, Bedfordshire’s new air ambulance, during a special visit to the county by the helicopter and her crew.
The helicopter landed at the UK Distribution Centre of manufacturer 3M on Hudson Road in Bedford.
Anglia Two, operated by the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), went into service in Summer 2007 following an appeal launched in the county in April last year. The launch was attended by Mr Sam Whitbread, HM Lord Lieutenant, who was also present at today’s visit.
Prior to the introduction of Anglia Two, which also serves Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire had been one of the few counties in the UK which had no access to this vital emergency service.
Commenting on his team’s visit to Anglia Two, Carl Denton, General Manager of HEOC, said: “The visit was designed to help the control team ‘task’ the air ambulance to attend the most appropriate types of incidents across the county by showing them the high tech equipment the air ambulance carries and briefing them on the range of emergency procedures its life-saving crew can perform.”
3M’s Site Manager Jim Grigg said: “3M was delighted to team up with the East Anglian Air Ambulance to make this visit possible. It was great to see the aircraft at first hand and understand the benefits it will bring to local communities.”
Simon Gray, Executive Director of the EAAA, added: “It’s fantastic to think that within only a few months of starting our appeal, Anglia Two was in active service across Bedfordshire and playing an important role in supporting the land ambulance team.
“The doctors and paramedics who fly aboard the air ambulance have special emergency training with Magpas so we want to ensure that the Ambulance Control team has a clear picture of exactly what they can offer so that they can be tasked to the most serious accidents and medical emergencies in the county.”
The EAAA also operates Anglia One, the air ambulance for Norfolk and Suffolk, 365 days a year, and maintains a back up aircraft. The cost of flying Anglia Two for a year is about £1.2 million or £100,000 per month, based on flying seven days a week. The cost is split between Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, based on their respective population sizes. Bedfordshire’s contribution is £44,000 per month and this purely covers the helicopter and excludes the ancilliary operations and advanced medical equipment it carries and which the charity has to fund additionally.
The EAAA receives no NHS, government or National Lottery funding so is entirely dependent on fundraising and contributions from members of the public.
Please help us keep the air ambulance flying. If you would like to make a donation or offer help to our Bedfordshire Fundraiser Paul Airton, please contact him on 07917 227065 or email him at paul.airton@eaaa.org.uk
Note to editors:
Anglia Two is a BK 117, one of the most widely used helicopters for air ambulance work in the world. Equipped with the latest medical equipment and with a top speed of 155 miles per hour, it is also spacious enough to convey a family member with a patient when necessary, for instance, in the case of an injured child. The helicopter is currently operating a five day service and will move up to seven days as funds permit. Its daytime base is RAF Wyton near St Ives in Cambridgeshire.
For further press information, please contact:
Rebecca George
Tel: 01449 737281
Mob: 07974 161108
Email: rebecca@georgepr.com
