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Devon Air Ambulance Trust
HeliPad
December 2009
What a busy year! 2009 definitely was yet another busy year. In this edition we have focused on just a few of the highlights. It was a hard choice...
Happy 1st Birthday Hems Desk! On 12th July we celebrated the first birthday of the HEMS (helicopter emergency medical services) desk. Based at the South Western Ambulance Service’s 999 control room, the HEMS operator, specially trained for the role, has sole responsibility for deploying our 2 Air Ambulances plus the ones in Cornwall, Dorset & Somerset. This team of 3 dispatchers, headed by supervisor Nikki Bolt, is funded by the 3 Air Ambulance charities. We are extremely proud to have been at the forefront of this innovation, having initiated the original trial, which in turn brought us fantastic recognition by way of a shortlist at the 2009 Charity Awards. David Phelan, Organiser of the Charity Awards 2009 commented ‘Over the last ten years many wonderful charities, large and small, have been recognised by the Charity Awards. By being shortlisted, Devon Air Ambulance Trust has already demonstrated that it is among the best-managed charities in the UK.’
999 DAY We are proud to have been instrumental in raising the awareness of not only the work that we do, but also that of the other 999 emergency services, with which we interact and work with on a daily basis. What better day to do this than on the 9th September 2009, in short 9.9.9! We organised a photoshoot, with the Police, Fire Service and Ambulance Service. However of course this day also raised awareness of our other emergency services colleagues such as Dartmoor Rescue, RNLI, Search & Rescue, to name just a few!
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE . . . Patients’ Stories, update on North Devon Airbase plus much more!