Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance
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Service
Prior to the introduction of the H135, the service flew a Eurocopter EC135. The service uses blue lights and sirens and is exempt from speed limits when responding to a major incident. It is part of the MICA (Major Incident Coordination and Allocation) system, which involves teams of Police Officers, Fire & Rescue Service, Magpas Air Ambulance Service, HART (Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Trust), Coastguard Agency and Search & Rescue Team.
This system was rebranded in October 2014 as only one helicopter is able to attend a scene, Hampshire Local (hampshirelocal.co.uk). The service has three primary missions: search and rescue; inter-hospital transfers; and patient transport from remote areas. The Wessex air ambulance charity is a registered charity in England and Wales. The NAS was established in September 1993 by various members of the medical and aviation industries with the aim of providing a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) for Hampshire, Isle of Wight, and parts of Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.
From April 2016 the service will be operated under contract by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. The service has two helicopters based at Southampton Airport known as "Red 1" and "Red 2"; these are supported by a further two helicopters (the H125 known as Red 3, Red 4) which fly from Lee-on-the-Solent and Lydd Airport. The four aircraft are shared with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, who provide paramedics to cover the second pilots position SWASFT rely on the off-shore lifeboat crews for their rescue capability.
Helicopter and crew
As stated above, the traffic police helicopter is operated by the NPAS and is available for many operational calls, such as assisting in searching for missing persons, gathering intelligence on traffic jams (eg in preparation for a visit by the British Royal Family to Ascot Races) or surveying traffic problems. The helicopter can also be used to transport police officers to crime scenes in remote areas. A more recent addition to its duties are general patrols over motorways (to deter speeding), some escorts of foreign dignitaries travelling in convoy on motorways approaching London (eg foreign Heads of State or Government attending major events such as the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton), and supporting search and rescue operations.
It. The Puma was replaced by the new Sikorsky S92 helicopter, (G-UKHU) introduced on 5 July 2010. The new aircraft has a maximum speed of 149mph (239km/h; 129kn) and a cruising speed of 138mph (222km/h; 120kn), giving it an average time to reach most destinations in Hampshire to be 19 minutes, with flights to the Isle of Wight averaging 25 minutes. The helicopters typically cruise at between 2000 and 3000ft so their noise is less intrusive.
Thus far the new aircraft have been well received but some villagers remain annoyed at the increased noise from these helicopters. There are many things you can say about our air ambulance service. You could talk about its innovation in the aviation industry, or how it provides vital 24/7 support to the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Every day our pilot and crew are faced with a number of challenging situations that require quick thinking and incredible skill.
