February 2017 - Hampshire Air Ambulance
Members of the Horndean & District U3A met for their regular monthly meeting on Friday 3rd February 2017 at Merchistoun Hall. They were treated to a talk about the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Service and the life saving service they provide by Mike Bonathan.
Mike is a volunteer with the charity and he kept Members enthralled whilst telling them about the sterling work of the team involved. The team is kept small with about 18 people employed but couldn't exist without the 150 plus willing volunteers who together bring the message of the Air Ambulance out to the local community. The volunteers represent the charity at shows, give talks, also liaise with corporate sponsors, raise money and raise awareness of the work of the charity. HIOWAA won the 2016 national award for best campaign "Be a 999 Hero" which involved going into schools and youth groups to make 22,000 young people aware of how to get help etc.
In the UK there are 19 charitable trusts providing air ambulances, with 30 aircraft. Yorkshire has 3 whilst HIOWAA have just the one. A group of medical people saw the need for an air ambulance in this area back in 2005 and it took 2 years to when they started to fly on 1st July 2007. The helicopter is based at Thruxton where they now have an enhanced air base. At a cost of a quarter of a million pounds they now have specialist training and enhanced skills facilities, an immersive training suite where they can simulate the full range of emergencies they will attend, plus fitness gym and recreational facilities.
The helicopter was upgraded last year to an Airbus H135 which enables them to fly at night, has side loading and the tail rotor is shrouded. The service of the Air Ambulance now covers 19 hours each day from 7 am to 2 am, every day of the year! The pilots are all ex-military and the doctors and paramedics who are trained in pre-hospital critical care are provided by the NHS. The doctors, on a rota basis, are all at consultant level and can provide operations or whatever is needed at the accident site. It is a dynamic team within the helicopter who work closely with the HEMS desk operated by a paramedic who tasks the Air Ambulance to missions.
The majority of their missions are to road traffic accidents 33%, next are cardiac collapse 25%, sport 18%, horse riding accidents 16%, industrial injuries 4% and transfers between hospitals etc 4%. Following a 999 call made via the Otterbourne centre to the HEMS desk where a paramedic makes a decision on whether it is an air ambulance mission, it takes the team just FOUR MINUTES to be airborne. Phenomenal team work. Incredibly since 2007 they have flown 6912 missions.
However the costs to run such an inspiring charity is not cheap at £9,000 per day, - nearly £3 million per year! Their income relies heavily on donations, sponsored challenges, legacies, talks and the main source of income is derived from their 'Flight for Life Lottery' with a weekly draw every Friday. For just £4.34 per month. For more information about the charity, to volunteer or to enrol in the lottery please go to their website www.hiowaa.org
The Members thoroughly enjoyed Mikes informative talk and asked many questions of him which he answered with a knowledgeable insight about his passion of our Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance service. Following the talk Mike sold lots of items of merchandise and the clink of the coins going into the collections boxes was noticeable! Overall he sold £59 merchandise and the donations totalled £185.25. The members showed a big thank you to Mike for making them aware of the service and giving them an enjoyable informative afternoon.
Diane Stoner
Speaker Coordinator