Help them to rescue you!
05/06/2007
In isolated communities, having a accident can mean hours before vital help arrives - by which time it may be too late. Fortunately, many hundreds of lives are saved each year by Air Ambulances, which can get to the scene of an accident within minutes - and save lives.
The Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance is a rapid response emergency craft covering 3,000 square miles across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Travelling at 154 mph it takes approximately 19 minutes to travel from its base at RAF Waddington to the furthest point in either of the two counties. Flying every day of the week, all year round, it completes an average of 4 missions a day saving many lives across the region. Entirely self-funded, the service now needs volunteers and fundraisers.
A high proportion of “call outs” are to road traffic accidents, where speed is essential in the battle to save life and limb. The helicopter can reach accident sites which are often inaccessible to land ambulances, and provides a fast, smooth efficient journey to hospital within 7-12 minutes, well within the “Golden Hour” which gives the best possible chance of making a full recovery, and there are always two paramedics on board who are trained to offer specialised trauma treatment.
Many residents in the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire counties live in isolated communities, often 45-60 minutes away by road ambulance from the nearest hospital and have benefited on many occasions from the speed of the helicopter.
The Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance is one of only 23 Air Ambulances in the country, and they rely heavily on voluntary contributions with the balance of their income coming from varied activities. They receive NO government funding and are not eligible for “National Lottery” grants, so to ensure that the air ambulance can continue saving lives each year they need to raise £1.5m.
Volunteers are always needed and there are many opportunities available whether it's have just an hour or two to spare placing or administering collection boxes or helping with any of the numerous events.
Should you be interested in finding out how you can help please contact: John Field (Nottinghamshire Fundraiser), Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance, 76 High Street. Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts, NG19 8BD. Tel 01623 626950. Email: johnfield.airamb@btconnect.com