Wednesday 1st July 2020 is a special day in the HIOWAA calendar. 13 years ago, we took to the skies of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and began providing life-saving treatment to patients in a critical condition.
How far we have come?
We have come a long way since we flew to our first patient in 2007. We have been called to 9,439 emergencies in the Air Ambulance and responded to 2,928 call-outs in our three Emergency Response Vehicles. On average we now respond to six emergencies, both in the air and on the road, every day.
We now also carry doctors on board, operate 19 hours a day and since 2016 our Airbus H135 helicopter became fully equipped and optimised for night operations. This means our crew can land safely at the scene of an incident, in the dark, bringing their life-saving care to the most seriously ill or injured people by night as well as by day.
Our Emergency Response Vehicles carry blood and plasma, just like the aircraft, as well as state of the art equipment that you would find in a hospital Emergency Department.
None of this could have happened without your support.
How do you celebrate a birthday in lockdown?
Join us live on our Facebook page at 7.15pm on Wednesday 1st July for the fifth edition of our virtual Quiz with the Crew, hosted by Specialist Critical Care Paramedic Dave Zaple. Your amazing support for our quizzes so far has raised over £3,000.
Have you taken photos of our aircraft, Helimed56, when you’ve seen us out and about? We want to see your photos of Helimed56 throughout the years so we can add them to our birthday collage. Please share them with us on our Facebook page.
Donate here to help keep us flying and saving lives