Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance

[Jon]

Warwickshire Northamptionshire Air Ambulance

http://www.wnaa.co.uk/

 

A registered charity funded by the public

- Covers over 2000sq miles

- 1.1 million people, 1 Aircraft, 2 Ambulance Services

- Emergency cover during daylight hours

- National child/adult retrieval service during hours of darkness

 

 

The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance is a registered charity based at Coventry Airport and provides emergency air ambulance cover for approximately 2000sq miles of Coventry, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, covering a population of around 1,076,000 people.

 

The helicopter can be airborne within 45 seconds and can respond anywhere in Warwickshire within 8 mins and anywhere in Northamptonshire within 12 mins

 

I've seen this in action on a number of occassions and its an amazing piece of kit!

[Jon]

For pictures of the aircraft see here!

[DHutch]

yeah, every year we go down to salcombe (southdevon) for a fortnights dingy sailing, and during one fo the regatta weeks the local air ambulance and the lifeboat do a combine display where the helicopter flies in (at speed, inches from the yahat masts) and hovers, picks up a "casualty" and lifts him in, then lifts some on, and back onto the lifeboat - and then they both leave (again, at speeds)

 

and i have to say, its amazing stuff, it really is

- and then the next day the lifeboat if open and you can have a look around and see some of there gear (incuding the 2 V12 lumps that power it)

 

- and then everyone give them some cash!!!!

 

daniel

[Jon]

I think that that you would have seen a RAF Search & Rescue helicopter, which has a slightly different role.

 

WNAA is an air ambulance rather than a SAR helicoper, so therefore carries a consultantant and paramedics on board for rapid and immediate treatment of casualties, and very fast conveyance to hospitals.

 

I've seen a SAR helicoper in action, they are amazing - proved essential in Boscastle over the summer!

 

Jon

 

( )

[DHutch]

yeah, i know its not that same "role" as you call it

 

- but im just saying, these helicopters are very impressive in the way they operate

 

(its acttally a coastguard helicopter, but anyway)

 

daniel

[John Orentas]

In a former life I had an involvement with the air ambulances (and police helicopters) we supplied searchlights for them. There is no experience quite like flying in a helicopter on a dark night.

 

Pigs to work on though. If any of you think that boat electrics are difficult, try these things.

 

John Squeers

[Lifeboat]

The south coast is mainly covered by MCA rescue helos & the rest of the mainly by RAF SAR helos.

 

The helo talked of above would have been an MCA helo.

 

Salcombe, dont they have RNLB Baltic Exchange II? A nice boat.

 

Cheers folks