Kent Sussex Surrey Air Ambulance launches the first 24hour helicopter service in the country.
This major phase in our support for 24 hour operations was officially launched yesterday (Wednesday 18th December) at Redhill Aerodrome in the presence of the media and many distinguished guests, including High Sheriffs, Lords & Deputy Lords Lieutenant of the SE counties and Chairmen of the County Councils of Kent, Surrey and East Sussex.
The teams have been attending about 1500 missions and attended about 1000 patients during the daylight operations. There is a clear indication of between 400 and 500 patients per year located within the 3,500 square miles who will now benefit from the night HEMS.
In his opening address, Adrian Bell, CEO of the charity, said “Our focus is on getting our highly-skilled teams with their time-critical interventions, to the patient as quickly and safely as possible, not only to save life but also to improve the quality of survival”. He went on to thank the public for their generous support and then to refer to the £250,000 pledge and major support from Lions Clubs in the south-east.
The new MD902 Explorer helicopter was on view and various crew members were available to demonstrate some of their specialised equipment including the night vision goggles and helmets for which our Lions Appeal had helped finance.
Lions Clubs across Kent, Surrey and Sussex will be continuing to raise funds for additional essential specialist equipment to enhance the night flying operations. Lions Clubs are dedicated to assisting their communities and to helping to save lives.
From the February 2014
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