One of the main reasons for the helicopters is to achieve treatment, within the "Golden Hour" from when an incident occurs.
The Golden Hour
The first hour after any incident is critical.
The sooner expert medical attention can be given the greater the chances of saving life and ensuring a better long-term outlook.
Response speed is critical for injured patients or medical emergencies.
Receiving adequate treatment and reaching a specialist trauma centre within the "Golden Hour" dramatically improves chances of survival and speed of recovery.
The Air Ambulance can often get to the scenes of incidents far faster than conventional road transport - getting there within those crucial sixty minutes can make all the difference.
Some Mercia Section members had a practical demonstration of the Air Ambulance in action on 16/09/06 as we were taking a cheque to be presented to the Air Ambulance at their Strensham Services base.
Jeff Lane, who was leading the group, took a tumble as he approached a roundabout near Stratford on Avon. He sustained a number of injuries and the paramedic who attended called the Air Ambulance as the roads had become blocked due to traffic build-up. The helicopter initially touched down in a field near the roundabout, but when it became apparent that Jeff would need to be airlifted the pilot took off and moved nearer, setting down between two lamp posts, only a few meters away from where Jeff was being treated. From there it was only afew minutes flight to hospital. Without the Air Ambulance there would have been a long wait for the ambulance to arrive, and an even longer journey to the hospital, certainly well out of the "golden hour" that is aimed for.
Hopefully Jeff will be the last person any of us know who use the services of the Air Ambulance, anywhere.
