Helipad Summer 2020 by Devon Air Ambulance Trust

D vers cat on

Local business support

Critical Care Cars Over 200 missions so far

150 and counting Community Landing Sites

the o cial maga ine of

150

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE

summer 2020 | www.daat.org

Challenges Collaboration

How we worked with our industry partners to get airborne again

New Heli UPDAT E Our pilots go back to school

Volunteers Finding imaginative ways to continue to support DAA during lockdown

Join Our Weekly

LOTTERY

Inspiring Patient Stories

Virtual Fundraising

the future...

See inside

SPECIAL ISSUE

See how Devon Air Ambulance has met the challenges of delivering exceptional critical care across Devon during the Coronavirus pandemic

EB RATI N

Step into summer Enjoy the colourful spectacle of hundreds of summer blooms, at RHS Rosemoor. Pre-book at rhs.org.uk/bookrosemoor Members go free Your visit supports our work as a charity.

30 EL

YEARS

9 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2020

summer 2020 | WELCOME

WELCOME Heléna Holt Chief

ecutive

cer

some outstanding collaboration (see page 12 for details) meant we were able to rapidly return to normal operations. Despite the challenges we continue to face, everyone at Devon Air Ambulance is determined to take as many positives from the current situation as possible and embrace all the new and exciting opportunities that come our way in order to make us agile and responsive if we ever face such a signiﬁcant event again in the future. I would like to thank everyone who has continued to ﬁnd innovative ways of supporting Devon Air Ambulance during these unprecedented times. Your support truly does save lives!

Devon Air Ambulance has faced a considerable number of challenges over the past few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we have all had to make huge changes over a very short period. Not only has this impacted on our service and staff, but also on how we are able to engage with our supporters and communities and raise the vital funds which are crucial to keeping us operational. Our main challenge since March has been how we protect our patients, crew and staff from the virus. Because delivering emergency medical interventions, particularly in a confined space such as a helicopter, made us high risk’ we took the very di cult decision to temporarily ground our helicopters. owever, a combination of our collective determination to get back in the air as safely, and uickly, as possible, coupled with

Ali Simpson Helipad Editor

doing during lockdown and the exciting new plan for our retail shops. As always, we know you will be inspired by our patient stories, where first-hand accounts of how our service has helped save lives vividly illustrate the benefits of supporting Devon Air Ambulance. n environmental issues, which we know are important to many of our readers, our reen Team’ continue to champion innovative ways in which Devon Air Ambulance can operate more sustainably. At elipad, we are committed to playing our part, and so are delighted that this is our first issue that is sent out in a fully recyclable paper wrapper (no more plastic film .

A warm welcome to our very special Summer issue of Helipad. You may notice it is slightly slimmer than usual, but we think you will still love the content as we focus on everything Devon Air Ambulance’ - some of the challenges we have faced during these di cult times, and how we have all started to work differently and think more creatively about the future of the Charity. We update you on how we got our helicopters back flying, what a difference our Critical Care Cars have made, celebrate our th Community Landing Site and tell you what our pilots have been up to when they went back to school’ to learn about our new helicopter. We also show you how we are embracing new ways of virtual’ fundraising, what our staff and volunteers have been

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© All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form without prior permission of the publishers. All material is sent at the owner’s risk and whilst every care is taken, Devon Air Ambulance Trust will not accept liability for loss or damage. Every eﬀort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of our content but the publishers cannot be held responsible for any omissions, errors or alterations or for the consequences of any reliance on these details; neither can they vouch for the accuracy of claims made by any advertiser. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers.

helipad | www.daat.org

CONTENTS | summer special 2020 OUR WORK The Oﬃcal Magazine of Devon Air Ambulance Celebrating the best in Devon 40,000 copies covering the whole county. 35,000+ delivered direct to our supporters Also available online at www.daat.org

Stop Press A round-up of news and views from Devon Air Ambulance.

Innovation and collaboration With protecting our crew and patients of paramount importance, back in arch we took the di cult decision to temporarily ground our helicopters - but our operations teams worked tirelessly with other organisations to get us back in the air as quickly as possible.

We’re open! ur shops were impacted signiﬁcantly by lockdown but have worked hard to reopen ‘Covid-Secure’, as well as introducing other exciting and innovative ways to showcase the wonderful items we have for sale.

Critical Care Cars hile our helicopters were o ine, our two new Critical Care Cars have made a vital contribution to maintaining our operations, enabling us to still get our highly skilled clinicians to the patients who needed them most - by road.

Changing business but not changing support Many local businesses had to think ‘outside the box’ to quickly diversify in order to survive during these unprecedented times, but never forgot how they could continue to support DAA.

The paramedic experience – in their own words Providing critical care during the pandemic has been particularly challenging for our paramedics, not only dealing with an ever-changing situation but also ensuring they can provide the same level of care and compassion in the conﬁnes of . Two DAA paramedics describe the experience.

The new world of ‘virtual’ fundraising Adaptable, innovative and creative – how our ama ing Fundraising Team embraced the challenges of ‘virtual’ events.

Astro Atlantic fundraisers – truly oar-inspiring! Read how four plucky young women from Kingsbridge took on one of the world’s most dangerous and gruelling challenges, and how their bravery and determination raised over £45,000 for Devon Air Ambulance.

Sew Simple We meet one determined fundraiser who used her love of sewing to make face coverings and was overwhelmed with the support from her local village, helping to raise over £5,000 for DAA!

Contributors David FitzGerald Photographers RHS Rosemoor

Publisher Heléna Holt h.holt@daat.org Editor Alison Simpson helipad@daat.org Sub Editor Debbie Gregory d.gregory@daat.org Advertising Sales Gaynor Garton 020 3283 4055 Advertisement Copy copy@daat.org Design & Print Management Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 Distribution & Mailing Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 ISSN (Print) 2055-2343 ISSN (Online) 2055-2351 Next issue Winter 2020

On The Cover Issue No.26 Summer 2020 DAA Helicopter and Critical Care Car at the Valley of the Rocks, Lynton, North Devon

is published by DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

summer 2020 | CONTENTS

Furlough Focus Like many businesses and charities, Devon Air Ambulance had to make use of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme at the start of lockdown. Never known to rest on their laurels, however, many of our furloughed staﬀ came up with imaginative ways to help support their communities and use the time productively.

150 and counting We are delighted to announce that the Community Landing Site at Newton Ferrers became the 150th night landing site in the county.

Our pilots go back to school Having formally accepted our new H145 helicopter, G-DAAS, our pilots have been spending time at Airbus Oxford, undertaking theory and practical training on our new aircraft before it comes into operation later in the year.

20 years of support

PATIENTS 10

One accident, 20 years of support hen ee hillips suﬀered a nasty motorcycle accident in 1998, he didn’t realise it would lead to so many years of support for Devon Air Ambulance – even during lockdown!

Saw trauma hen ick severed his arm in an horriﬁc accident with a circular saw in May, not only did he have to deal with the terrible injuries, but he had to do so while being isolated from his worried wife and family due to hospital concerns about the spread of Coronavirus.

How furlough plans went awry When mum Alison took her two children to Haytor to let oﬀ steam, she hadn’t anticipated the day would end with the air ambulance being called to treat her son’s broken leg – and says he still hasn’t forgiven her for missing out on a helicopter ride!

33 Getting familiar with G-DAAS

GET INVOLVED 8

Volunteers Lots of our volunteers, despite having to be ‘stood down’ during the pandemic, have found interesting ways to continue to support DAA. We tell you what Anne and Tony have been up to – and share Anne’s super-simple chocolate fudge cake recipe!

Lottery See how having a lottery membership is just one small way you can help to keep our crew safe.

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PEOPLE & PLACES 34

Back Chat Fitz chats to the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, David Fursdon, about life in lockdown and how he plans to recognise the selﬂess achievements of so many people across the county.

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The latest news from Air Ambulance HQ

NEW PROJECT! Public Access De br llators We have taken delivery of 32 Public Access Defibrillators (PADs), which will be strategically placed at our retail shops, at our head office and in our pool cars. While the Coronavirus situation has delayed the planned installation, we hope to get these life-saving defibrillators into our communities as soon as possible!

SPECIAL

Trustee Update: Trustee Richard Plunkett has decided to step away from his role with Devon Air Ambulance due to work commitments. We would like to thank Richard for his commitment and guidance to the Charity since joining us in 2015, particularly in his capacity as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. We wish Richard well in all his future endeavours.

essa e rom Devon s S er to t e team at Devon r mbulance

Dear all at Devon Air Ambulance Trust,

Neil Devons A special ‘thank you’ from everyone at Devon Air Ambulance to Neil Devons, who has provided Public Relations and media advice and support to the Charity over many years. As we look to appoint a new Head of Communications, Neil is stepping away from this role but we are, of course, delighted that he will still be contributing his unparalleled wealth of local knowledge, love of history and the places and people of Devon to the team here at Helipad!

May I, on behalf of the Shrievalty of Devon, pass on my very best wishes for the crucial work you all are doing to keep the people of the county safe. It is wonderful that you are back flying again at this difficult and risky time and like many, I am hugely impressed with your skill and dedication. Hardly a day seems to pass at present, sadly, without either seeing your aircraft overhead or hearing about your actions in the news. Devon is immensely lucky to have such skilled personnel helping to keep the county safe. May I wish you the best of luck with your new helicopter, the H145 and I very much look forward to seeing it in action - and when the lockdown allows, to meet many of you in person. I hope you all keep safe—and thank you again for your professionalism and skills. With very best wishes, Gerald Hine-Haycock High Sheriff of Devon

summer 2020 | NEWS

Editor’s Note:

Toby Russell

For this Special Issue focusing on everything ‘Devon Air Ambulance’, I am particularly grateful to the following staﬀ who update us on how Coronavirus has aﬀected the Charity, and how we have combined resilience, hard work, collaboration and a lot of creativity to ensure we continue to provide our vital emergency service across Devon.

Since joining the Patient Services team in late 2015 I have been working with communities across Devon to create a network of surveyed floodlit night landing sites which enable DAA to operate into communities ‘during the hours of darkness’. Day to day my role involves engaging and communicating with a wide range of stakeholders so when Coronavirus struck, I was really pleased to ‘lend a hand’ to the Communications Team. Through blogs, press information and Helipad we’ve taken an in-depth look at the recent challenges we have faced and how we have worked with others to find solutions. We’ve also looked at all the great work we’ve been doing over the past year to develop and enhance our patient care.

We are fortunate at Helipad to have lots of wonderful contributors who usually provide us with articles on a variety of subjects, not only related to the Charity but about local places and people, history, cookery, gardening and the natural world.

Let me introduce you to the team... Debbie Gregory

atient iaison cer and Helipad sub-editor!) My role with DAA is primarily Patient Liaison – chatting with those we’ve helped and their families and, where possible, arranging for them to visit our airbase and meet the aircrew. These visits have proved invaluable to many patients and often enable them to fill in gaps or misunderstandings about their incidents. Each patient has their own unique story to tell of their experience with Devon Air Ambulance – and are all united in giving praise and gratitude that the service was there for them. Sharing those stories in Helipad and on our website is a privilege and knowing that they inspire our supporters is constantly rewarding.

Naomi Palmer, Digital Content

Development

cer

Ginette Gisborne

Interim Volunteer Manager I joined Devon Air Ambulance in 2018 and, after managing the DAA Kingsbridge shop for just over a year, I took on the exciting challenge of covering maternity leave for our Volunteer Manager, Cara. I had barely had time to get acquainted with our volunteers when the pandemic struck, our shops were closed, our community volunteers were grounded and all of a sudden – I was working from home! Keeping in touch with our volunteers has been essential, but my passion for communication and writing regular updates for them naturally led me into helping our Communications Team to keep our wider audience informed too, particularly through our website and social media – and now Helipad!

cer

I joined DAA in 2017 as a member of the Communications Team on a short-term contract to build what was then the new website; populating the pages and creating digital content in the form of blogs, social content and videos - and then I stuck around! My role right now is to continue to make the website as hard-working as possible and investigate new ways to engage and support our website visitors. During times of uncertainly it’s been especially important to revisit how our supporters can be helped to fulfil their aims when visiting our site. I also report on our analytics and look after our online ads, but one of my favourite things to do is to help come up with creative ideas for campaigns. Being part of the Communications Team gives me a good oversight of all the fantastic things going on across the organisation and to find ways to promote our storytelling activities.

Peggie Clark

Fundraising Communications cer

I’ve been with DAA for 4 years and my role sits between the Communications Team and the Fundraising Team. This has given me a great understanding of two departments within the Charity and has given me the opportunity to engage with a lot of our supporters, through different media platforms as well as on a one to one basis. My role entails me supporting the Fundraising Team with anything design, literature and digital, and since the pandemic I have been heavily involved with the planning and promotion of our virtual events, which has been a really exciting new development for our Fundraising Team.

helipad | www.daat.org

Creativity & Can-do Spirit Interim Volunteer manager, Ginette Gisborne, tells us what two of our wonderful volunteers have been doing to support their communities during lockdown.

uring the current pandemic - and with our o ce, shops and events shut or cancelled we had to stand down our volunteers from their volunteering duties. owever, never nown to sit bac and ta e it easy, some of our ama ing team have continued to nd imaginative and creative ways to eep supporting the harity, from some

serious ca e ba ing, ma ing PPE and even ta ing part in our mile base base virtual challenge. Two of our volunteers, Anne and Tony, tell us what they did during this really challenging time, not only to support us but also their local communities.

‘VIRTUAL’ REALITY Earlier in the year, life was following a good pattern with lots of activities planned for Devon Air Ambulance, li e school tal s, lling my calendar. ery soon, however, as the pandemic became more serious, I found myself pressing the delete button on my calendar as lots of my volunteering and social activities started to be cancelled. Never mind, I thought, there’s still the DAA outdoor events - I can look forward to the Devon County Show, Motorcycle Ride Out and various other shows but alas, soon came the news that these too would disappear from my diary! Days later followed the cancellation of a holiday to France and visit to family in East Anglia - my diary was suddenly very empty which is a rare sight! Oh no! - Just need to pause to delete the Commando Challenge from my calendar! Unfortunately, the sensible decision was made to cancel this early, otherwise precious funds would have to be used to pay bills for the event. I enjoyed my hour of exercise walking out and

about in my local area and then all of a sudden, daily walks became more like a new challenge as Devon Air Ambulance announced their first virtual event – the “base2base” all you had to do was cover miles – the distance from the Exeter airbase to the one in North Devon – aglescott. hat a great way to raise some funds, raise awareness and keep healthy. So, my wife Sylvia and I decided to enter. We had some lovely walks around Ivybridge and Dartmoor including exploring ancient stone circles and the Devonport Leat above Burrator. My ‘virtual’ walk finished on anger Down behind Ivybridge, the only witnesses being the sheep who now accept me as one of them! After 8 days had passed, I decided to do a virtual return leg to Exeter so did another miles – now obviously as fit as a fiddle

Throughout lockdown I have kept up to date with all of the news from Devon Air Ambulance and have been kept well informed about what is going on. It really does make a diﬀerence that they care about the volunteers so much and keep us involved every step of the way. With the lockdown easing we are looking forward to some form of normality and opportunities to help DAA spread the word and raise funds, which are going to be essential to ensure that the vital service we support continues. Tony Cannon

Tony and wife Sylvia completing their ‘virtual’ Base2base Challenge

summer 2020 | VOLUNTEERING

999...EMERGENCY SERVICES? Now a date forever in my mind - 9th September 2009 That day, I received a call to say my son, John, had been involved in a major accident and had been airlifted to hospital by the Midlands Air Ambulance. I was told that had it not of been for the air ambulance he would not have survived. There is no amount of money that can repay that debt and the only way I could see to repay a little was to be a volunteer. Living in Devon, Peter

and I chose to support our local Devon Air Ambulance, collecting the boxes and banking the money. Fast forward to March 2020 The pandemic hits and we are in lockdown. I have almost no flour. My daughter, Hannah, who has a cake sculpting business, arranged for a delivery. I wanted to share this scarce resource with others but wasn’t sure how to. I’ve worked in Health and Social Care for more than 20 years and found it frustrating that while the

Anne’s Super-Simple Chocolate Fudge Cake Cake Ingredients: 2 large eggs 150mls Vegetable Oil 150mls Milk 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup 140gm Sugar (Caster or Granulated) 180gm Plain Flour 28gm Cocoa or Drinking Chocolate 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda Butter Icing Ingredients: 85gm Unsalted butter 70gm Icing Sugar 85gm Milk chocolate Cherry Jam (optional) Chocolate ﬂake optional

NHS was, quite rightly, getting all the initial attention, less recognition was being given to our wonderful Care Home staff. So, I hatched a plan! I could bake cakes and deliver them to a local Care Home to say “Thank You”. Knowing too that the money we usually collected and banked was now lost income for DAA, I decided to ask for sponsorship to make 31 cakes or sweet treats in May, aiming to raise £310. I was delighted with the generosity of family and friends whose donations

ensured the target was met and four local Care Homes gratefully received a selection of cakes. Anne George

Cake Method: • Set the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade (Fan Oven), 170 degree Centigrade (non-fan), Gas Mark 3 or 325 degrees Fahrenheit. • Grease a 20cm loose bottom cake tin and place on a baking tray – the mixture is quite runny so you will want to catch any leaks! • Simply put all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well. • Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for one hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. • Leave to cool in the tin and then transfer to a cooling wire tray Butter Icing Method: • Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water, or gently in a microwave • Cream together the butter and the icing sugar. Add in the chocolate and mix until combined. • Cut the cake in half and spread in half the butter icing. Add an extra layer of cherry jam if you wish. Sandwich the two halves of the cake together. • • pread the remaining butter icing on top, and decorate with chocolate ﬂake pieces. • Then...Enjoy!

As the lockdown rules are relaxed, we will be making sure our volunteers are safe to return to giving their help and support. We are looking forward to being able to tell them that, although there may be strict guidelines and precautions in place to keep them safe, they can venture out to do what they enjoy most, supporting Devon Air Ambulance!

THINKING OF VOLUNTEERING?

e ave lots o erent roles or volunteers at Devon r mbulance you oul l e to become a part o our ncre ble volunteer team, please contact nette on sborne aat or

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Forever thankful... B

y his own admission, Lee Phillips, of Yelland near Barnstaple, loves anything to do with motorbikes: riding, watching, maintaining, talking about – he just loves everything about them! However, it was while he was out riding his beloved bike on Sunday 18th October 1998 that he had a serious accident which put paid to his riding a motorbike for many months. Lee recalls the day as if it were yesterday, “It was a lovely warm late autumn day and I realised that it might be ‘my last good ride of the year’. Little did I know that it was to be my last ride for a whole lot longer than that… “I’d had a lovely ride to South Devon and was on the way back to Barnstaple as I approached a staggered T junction. I slowed down and could see a car waiting at a give-way junction on my left. Just as I got level, however, and was close enough to note the colour of the driver’s glasses, he pulled out in front of me. I immediately tried to avoid the car but there was no time; the car hit my leg and pushed me and my bike over the verge and onto the other side of the road. I remember heading straight for a steel bus-stop pole and thinking “please let this be uick, don’t want to suﬀer – I was convinced I was going to die. “Somehow, I missed the pole, and landed in the middle of the opposite carriageway where a car was coming towards me. Survival kicked in and I tried to move,

but saw my legs were at a very strange angle. I emitted a sound that I’ve never heard before nor since. Thankfully, some very helpful people rushed to my assistance, one oﬀering ﬁrst aid and another stopping the on-coming cars.” A land ambulance was swiftly on scene and Lee remembers thinking what a long, bumpy drive it would be to North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) as he heard the land crew voicing concerns over saving his leg.

to 45 minutes by road, took just seven minutes by air. X-rays revealed compound segmental breaks to Lee’s left leg and a double break in his right leg. Miraculously, and with thanks to his full leathers and back protector, Lee was relieved to learn that he hadn’t suﬀered any spinal, pelvic or abdominal injuries. Waking up from surgery, Lee was amazed to learn that his left leg was still intact, having convinced himself

“ Waking up from surgery, Lee was amazed to learn that his left leg was still intact, having convinced himself that there’d be nothing below his knee. He determined there and then to support Devon Air Ambulance to say thank you. ” The next memory Lee has is hearing a sound that he described as ‘the most amazing relief’ when he realised that the Devon Air Ambulance was arriving ‘to save the day’. He remembers that the atmosphere at the scene palpably changed as paramedics Nigel Hare and Steve Wright took over Lee’s care with complete professionalism, leaving him with a feeling he was in good hands. The aircrew medics assessed Lee’s injuries and administered pain relief, while oﬀering uiet, constant reassurance before he was stretchered to the waiting helicopter. The journey to NDDH, which might have taken up

that there’d be nothing below his knee. He determined there and then to support Devon Air Ambulance to say thank you. There followed months of hard, physical rehabilitation with lengthy sessions of physiotherapy. Incredibly, Lee returned to work in just 14 weeks. To rebuild his strength and muscles he bought a bicycle and clocked up 2,500 miles in the following months which helped him both physically and mentally. Lee has watched the progress of and supported Devon Air Ambulance closely since his accident. e was among the ﬁrst players in our in-house

Lottery, and still plays to this day. He has been a participant in each Motorcycle Ride Out, seen the opening of our second airbase at Eaglescott, and the purchase of both our current aircraft, the first flying incubator and night flying. The highlight for ee, however, was to “meet and thank the wonderful DAA founder Ann Ralli for her determination and vision that Devon needed an Air Ambulance service. Without her and all the people that make Devon Air Ambulance my life would be very different. Thank you all again.” Lee has also joined our family of volunteers as a Box Collector in his home area, but that’s not all. Since the Coronavirus pandemic, Lee was furloughed from work and recognised another opportunity to support Devon Air Ambulance. Using previously discarded metal containers, he has given them a new lease of life as firepits. The company didn’t have any further use for them, but as they weren’t recyclable and would have ended up in landfill, thought I’d upcycle them instead. I’ve been really pleased with the results.” One of ee’s first uni ue firepits has been donated to the charity – complete with its helicopter and Devon carving decoration. We are grateful to Lee for letting us tell his story and, of course, for his continued support. 

summer 2020 | PATIENTS

Paramedics Nigel Hare and Steve Wright (3rd & 4th from right) in 1997!

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Challenges Collaboration

The worldwide Coronavirus pandemic temporarily grounded Devon Air Ambulanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helicopters but innovation, co-operation, collaboration and hard work soon got us back ďŹ&#x201A;ying again

s with nearly all aspects of our personal, work and social lives, the Coronavirus pandemic created unprecedented challenges for air ambulances around the UK as they wrestled with how to operate their helicopters at the same time as keeping aircrew and patients safe from the virus. With the safety of patients and staff of paramount importance to Devon Air Ambulance, the painful and difficult decision was taken by the senior leadership team to suspend flight operations at the end of March. There were many complex factors which resulted in this decision being made. One of the major considerations was the limited space inside our EC135 helicopter, which would have made it impossible to

Paramedic training in full PPE inside the odi ed helicopter

keep the crew protected from the virus if one of their patients was poorly with it, or for a member of crew â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who may have been asymptomatic - passing it onto their patient and each other. While it quite quickly became apparent that our clinical staff would need to wear appropriate PPE when dealing with patients, this threw up its own unique challenges. Verbal communication between clinicians and the pilot is paramount in terms of safety, so how would they speak to each other, and to colleagues on the ground, if they were wearing protective face masks? Everyone at Devon Air Ambulance is passionate about the critical care that is provided to our patients, so it was a worrying

summer 2020 | OUR WORK and frustrating time for our crew as they were not able to help patients who needed them most. However, never failing to rise to the challenge, our clinical staff worked alongside their flight operations and safety colleagues to come up with a plan on what would need to be implemented to protect everyone working in the aircraft and while treating patients on scene. The team quickly identified three modifications that would be needed in order to return to normal flight operations. Firstly, a separation screen in the aircraft to partition the pilot from the rear of the helicopter where the clinical staff would be treating the patient. Secondly, a throat microphone which could be worn in conjunction with a protective face mask and, lastly, the development of a bracket which would enable a full-face visor to be fitted to an aviation safety helmet. Each of these new developments involved an incredible amount of work, from the prototype designs and development, implementation and approval from EU and UK aviation authorities, not to mention the need for in-flight trials, testing and simulation as part of our rigorous safety process. The new separation screen was installed between the front and rear sections of the helicopter, which allowed the pilot cockpit at the front and the patient area at the rear to be partitioned off. The new screen is designed to fit securely around the inside of the aircraft frame, creating a sealed area which reduces the risk of transmission between these two areas of the helicopter.

odi ed ﬂight safet hel et, visor and co unications e uip ent

masks in-flight, which was critical in improving internal and external communications – vital for flight safety – and a new bracket was designed to fit on their aviation safety helmets so that a full-face visor could be worn when carrying out medical procedures where there was a greater risk of transmitting the virus, such as giving CPR or ventilating a patient who had stopped breathing. As well as the work of our operational staff, this amazing feat would not have been achieved without the collaboration between Devon Air Ambulance and Babcock Marine at Plymouth Devonport Dockyard, Babcock Mission Critical

“ It is a huge testament to the commitment of all involved that these new protective measures were achieved so quickly. Under normal circumstances, the timeframe to achieve this might have been months but, in just about 40 days, the crew at Devon Air Ambulance were back in the skies ” The aircrew were also able to use the newly designed throat microphone when they needed to wear Level 3 PPE respirator

he cockpit separation screen in place

Services Onshore in Gloucester, Headset Services Ltd and Airbus Helicopters UK. It is a huge testament to the commitment of all involved that these new protective measures were achieved so quickly. Under normal circumstances, the timeframe to achieve this might have been months but, in just about 40 days, the crew at Devon Air Ambulance were back in the skies. On this tremendous achievement, Flight Operations Director Ian Payne said “These new modifications have been rapidly developed in collaboration with industry partners and approved for use by UK/EU aviation authorities, which demonstrates how we are all working innovatively together during these difficult times”. Operations Director Nigel Hare added “It has been great news for Devon that we were able to complete a phased reintroduction of our air operations. This measured approach was important as our clinicians restarted some of the more advanced medical treatments while operating with these new aircraft modifications and getting used to wearing PPE in-flight to safeguard themselves and their patients from Coronavirus”. During the time our helicopters were non-operational, our paramedics were still responding to patients using our Critical Care Cars and you can read more about the benefits of having the cars available during this challenging time on page 16. There are still some challenges for the crew to overcome. Wearing full PPE including a plastic apron, sleeve and trouser protectors, surgical masks, plastic visors and gloves can be extremely uncomfortable, particularly during the hot weather the rest of us have been enjoying this year Despite these challenges, our operational crew were delighted to be back flying again and continuing to provide critical and advanced emergency care to their patients across Devon. 

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Our shops have

RE-OPENED! When the country went into lockdown, one of the areas of the Charity that was significantly impacted was retail. ur shop staff were furloughed, our lovely volunteers sent home and the doors locked! Since then, the whole team have been working tirelessly to reopen in a Covid-Secure way – and with an exciting new retail model. Becoming Covid-Secure To enable us to resume trading, we have implemented the Government’s mandatory steps to protect our employees, volunteers and those people visiting our premises: We’ve carried out a Covid-19 risk assessment You can be confident that Devon Air Ambulance has carried out a risk assessment which ensures that all areas of our retail operations have been considered and that any risk has been documented in our formal risk assessment in line with HSE guidance. This process included discussions with colleagues and the retail workforce and will be visible on our website. We’ve developed robust cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures Every shop will follow a strict cleaning policy. This will include an enhanced level of cleaning and sanitising across all areas of our premises especially those areas that are visited frequently such as the till area and any surfaces such as doors and handles that are touched more regularly. We will also encourage our teams and customers to follow the guidance on hand washing and hygiene. All our shops will have hand sanitiser available for customer use.

We will be maintaining a social distancing rule of 2m in all our shops wherever possible. This will mean the number of people who can enter our shops at any one time will be restricted and may vary from shop to shop, depending on its size. We will display all relevant notices to ensure this is clear at every shop location. We would ask that you remain considerate of each other regarding social distancing and this will make your visit to us enjoyable and without worry. Where people cannot be 2m apart, we are managing ‘transmission risk’ Where it is impossible to maintain a 2m distance we must do all we can to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. This is most relevant at our till areas, where we have installed screens to protect our team and yourselves while standing at our till point. To further minimise risk, we have reconfigured our till counters and floor fi tures and have also created a designated drop off area for your donations. We have introduced a new donations process that will allow us to manage the flow of items arriving and minimise having to turn donations away should we reach full capacity.

summer 2020 | RETAIL

A new way to shop As you can see, we have been extremely busy making all this possible. ur shops may look completely diﬀerent but our intentions are the same, to create a safe environment in which you can support us, either by shopping, donating to us or paying for your lottery as this will still be possible in every shop. Because you will be unable to browse in our shops as you could previously, we have found new ways to showcase all the wonderful items that we have on sale. These include: • Window Shopping - our shop windows will be full of many items to buy – you can browse safely from outside the shop and ask to purchase anything you see displayed. Much like before, only you will ﬁnd our shop teams have used all the available space to be able to display many more items for you to choose from. • Facebook Shopping - each shop now has its own Facebook shop – new items will be added every day. Browse the images of items for sale and simply call the

Our new donations process Donations are vital to the success of our shops and contribute greatly to the service we provide. To ensure we are Covid-Secure, we have a new 3-step process for making donations. It’s simple and easy to follow! Step 1 - Prepare your donations When preparing your items to bring to our shops, please make sure they are saleable and not damaged, incomplete or broken – a simple test is to ask yourself – would I buy it? Making these checks will help us to minimise the number of unsaleable items we may have to dispose of in our council bins and with our recyclers – this will cost the Charity money which is something we really want to avoid. Wherever possible, please pack your textiles and nontextiles, such as bric-a-brac, separately. Make sure your donations are placed into bags and boxes that can also be donated – we will not be able to return your boxes/ tubs or bags as we normally would if requested. Step 2 - Book a delivery slot Book a delivery slot! Contact your local shop by telephone or by messaging them on their own Facebook essenger page to arrange a suitable time to drop oﬀ your items either by car or by hand. If you have a large number of items to donate, we would much prefer you to book more than one delivery slot as this will help us to manage the quantity of donated goods arriving in the shop at one time.

shop to reserve and pay over the phone or drop them a note on Facebook messenger to ask them to reserve it for you to collect from the shop at a later date. • eBay Shopping - we now have our Devon Air Ambulance e ay shop up and running where you will ﬁnd items across lots of diﬀerent categories for sale. e have launched our eBay shop with a range of ladieswear and will add more items daily. Learn more at daat.org/shop-with-us-through-ebay.

Please keep in touch with your local shop on social media if you can – that way you will remain up to date with all their latest arrivals as well as news about the Charity.

to place your donations directly into the designated cages available. Due to quarantine rules, we will not be able to handle your donations, bags or boxes for 72 hours, so won’t be able to physically assist you with your donations. If you are a Gift Aider we will scan your gift aid tag, print your unique stickers and ask you to attach them to each bag or box that you have donated. If you are eligible to be a Gift Aid supporter – we will be able to sign you up when you visit. Please note: Due to the 72-hour quarantine rule set out by the Government, we will be unable to touch anything left outside our premises – not just when our shops are closed but even if we are open! This means DAA will not beneﬁt from the donation and items left will be disposed of by the Council.

Step 3 - Arrive at the shop at the agreed time Arrive at the shop at the agreed time. You will be asked

RETAIL

Pro le Chrissie Peel - Retail Operations Manager Email: c.peel@daat.org

Thank you very much for your ongoing support of Devon Air Ambulance and your understanding as we embark on the next phase of our ourney, your contribution is ma ing a real diﬀerence to our patients and their families.

helipad | www.daat.org

A New

resilience...

Our new Critical Care Cars added a level of ﬂe ibility to our service – ust when we needed it most!

ou may remember in Spring Helipad we welcomed our two new Critical Care Cars to Devon Air Ambulance. They came into service in February and were introduced to build in resilience to our service and support the enhanced critical care we can deliver across the county. Our cars oﬀer a safe and speedy way to respond to patients if our helicopters are o ine due to poor weather or when they were away for maintenance or servicing. As the true impact of Coronavirus became clear, and we too the very di cult decision to temporarily stop ying while we put in place measures to protect our patients and crew from the virus, our two cars became absolutely vital to our service. Having them available meant we could still deliver our clinical teams to our patients when they urgently needed the enhanced level of critical care that we provide. As more people will have seen our Critical Care Cars out on the road since that time, we thought it would be good to take a more in-depth look at them and the vital role they played during these unprecedented times.

Our Critical Care Cars There are several different makes of cars which can be adapted – also known as ‘blue light’ conversion – specifically for the emergency services. At the start of the process, in order to select the right car we spent some time looking at the different models available, learning from the experience of other services that use critical care cars and considering these against our local needs. This led us to choose the Volvo XC90 as the best cars for our service in Devon. Our Volvo XC90’s have a high-performance powerful hybrid engine which offers good handling at speeds over rough road surfaces and, because they are 4-wheel drive, they can take us safely off-road and into the Devon countryside when needed. This car also has lots of space, both in terms of roomy seating for up to three clinicians on duty (two paramedics or two paramedics and a doctor) in addition to a very large boot

for all their kit and medical equipment. The generous storage space also means we have some spare capacity as new equipment or kit might be required. This is particularly useful at the moment as the crew need to carry supplies of both Level 2 and Level 3 PPE to wear when assisting patients. As part of the development of our cars, our paramedics have also undertaken Level 3 Ambulance Response training, also known as ‘blue light’ training, to provide them with the skills to drive the cars safely, at speed, to reach our patients in their time of need.

summer 2020 | OPERATIONS

What equipment do we carry? We carry exactly the same advanced medical equipment in the Critical Care Cars as we carry in the helicopter, so we can deliver exactly the same level of advanced medical treatments to our patients at scene. This includes clinical equipment such as ventilators and our blood plasma product LyoPlas which enables our crew to treat patients who have suffered severe blood loss.

How do we use the Critical Care Cars? Our cars are primarily located at each airbase which means our crews are quick to respond if either of our helicopters is offline. On occasion, it may actually be quicker for our team to reach a patient by road rather than by air if the incident happens near to the airbase. The needs of the patient drives everything we do, and the crew will make these time-critical decisions based on a number of factors such as patient condition and location, access, proximity to the specialist treatment centre the patient’s reported condition might require and what other emergency resources are responding to the patient. Our cars are deployed by the same specially trained Helicopter Emergency Medical Service dispatchers who can identify the patients who are most likely in need of the advanced treatments and interventions our team can provide. Just like our helicopters have specialist aviation GPS navigation systems, our cars use a similar system designed for emergency services, which is particularly useful when guiding us across the extensive and busy road network in Devon. Again, just like in the helicopters, the clinician in the passenger seat is able to communicate and liaise with other emergency services while en-route to the incident. Where we have advance notice that the aircraft won’t be available, such as when it is in Oxford for its annual maintenance, we are able to locate our cars at strategic locations around the county. Using historical data of the incidents we have attended, alongside that of the ambulance service, we are able to identify which towns, villages or major road junctions to position our cars so they are best placed to respond when needed to the most likely predicted location. When we took the really difficult decision earlier in the year to stand our helicopters down, we were able to use this data to locate our cars at major road junctions near Barnstaple, Exeter, Teignbridge and the South Hams, reducing the time it took from when the 999 call was made to reaching the

patient. During the time we weren’t flying due to Coronavirus, we were extremely grateful to Kastners, our local Volvo dealer based in Exeter, who offered to loan us an additional critical care car to temporarily enhance our fleet and give us even more road coverage across the county.

the future While Devon Air Ambulance is a helicopter-led emergency service, it is clear that our Critical Care Cars have enabled us to enhance the service we can provide in Devon. Since coming online in February, we have completed over 100 missions using these cars, which has already demonstrated the huge benefit they can bring to our communities.

Thanks to our Facebook friends for sharing some of the images on this page.

helipad | www.daat.org

Support through vers cat on While the pandemic has caused issues and challenges all around us, many companies are looking at new ways to operate and diversify their core business – we are grateful that so many are willing to support our cause to keep the helicopters ﬂying. Here are some of the ways local Devon businesses are still supporting the service

Luminous is a Devon-based company with a reputation for providing incredible specialist theatrical effects for massive national events. However, COVID-19 effectively closed the live entertainment industry overnight and Luminous looked at ways they might be able to help with the pandemic. They noticed supply issues of PPE products to frontline healthcare workers and recognised that this might be where they could help. Co-founder, Ed Samkin, learned that the main liquid solvent used for fuel in their flame projectors was also the main ingredient in this type of alcohol hand sanitiser. He explained, “We diverted our resources to source plastic bottles with closures and labels and get the additional chemicals and manufacturing tooling required. We logged our intention to supply with the HSE so we could get a permit to supply the product. We also learned that disposable Face Shields were in demand and, rather than the 3-D printed versions, we devised an alternative solution that could be produced with laser cutters and mechanical punches.” Provision of this vital PPE has been invaluable and, to date, Luminous has supplied over 1200 items to various charities, including 50 face shields and supplies of hand sanitiser to Devon Air Ambulance.

In recent years, reusable shopping bags have become a must-have item and most of us rarely leave home without one. Back in 2018 we were approached by Mountain Warehouse with a great offer; that all profits from their high quality reusable cotton shoulder bags would be donated to Devon Air Ambulance and, at only £1.00 per bag, a real must-have.

Along with most High Street retailers, their shops were temporarily closed in March, but the majority are now back open, and we’re delighted to report that this fundraiser is back up and running! Already this incentive has raised £2,566. If you are shopping in any of the Mountain Warehouse shops throughout the county, why not ask for one of these bags. Excellent value, quality AND supporting a great cause at the same time.

summer 2020 | BUSINESS SUPPORT RGB Building Supplies is one of the region’s leading builders’ merchants and they are looking forward to launching their latest charity initiative to raise vital funds for DAA very soon. RGB has over 20 outlets across the South West, of which 14 are based in Devon, and has pledged to donate 25p to us from the sale of every promotional “dumpy bag” which are used to carry large quantities of aggregates such as sand, crushed stone and gravel. Paul Letherbridge, Branch Manager at RGB Okehampton added “We’re creating specialist bulk bags which proudly displays the Devon Air Ambulance logo to encourage our trade and retail customers, who are perhaps taking on a landscaping project in their own garden, to visit any of our Devon sites and help to raise as much money as possible. We’d love to thank everyone in advance who purchases these dumpy bags”

Kastner, the Volvo dealer based in Exeter, has also offered incredible support. Knowing our helicopters were grounded and that we were responding to emergencies with our Critical Care Cars, they offered to lend us an additional Volvo for our fleet. Not only did this enable us to attend more life-saving missions when necessary but also meant that we could call upon an additional vehicle which may

We are continuing to get magnificent support from South West Water. They have recently donated £5,625 which, added to their previous donations brings their total to a magnificent £33,750. In readiness for the provision of our brand new H145 helicopter, G-DAAS, this year’s donation has gone towards two full sets of specialist medical bags; the primary response bag (blue), secondary response bag (red), a Lyoplas bag and an oxygen bag. The equipment in each bag is stored concisely and bags are a ‘rucksack’ style which should increase the comfort for the user. Dan Jones, Head of Communications for South West Water, said: “We’re delighted to support the great work of Devon Air Ambulance Trust, which provides such a vital service to the communities we serve. Our staff helped choose our charity partners and it’s brilliant to know that this year’s donation is helping the aircrew, especially at this time.”

As our aircrew have had to adapt to wearing additional layers of PPE and the weather continues to be warm, hydration for the aircrew is of paramount importance. We are grateful to South West Water for stepping up with a donation of 40 water bottles.

have been closer to the incident. It carried the same equipment on board as our existing vehicles, enabling our paramedics to give vital treatment to the patient at the scene. A spokesperson for Kastner said, “Having supplied DAA with their first two critical care cars, it was with great pleasure that we were able to support them further by loaning one of our XC60 models to support their Paramedics in the community throughout the height of the pandemic. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the valuable emergency service you guys provide.”

On a different note... We would love to thank and acknowledge the businesses who supported our first ever Virtual Bike Show, in place of our annual Motorcycle Ride Out: Bridge Motorcycles, Upass, India in a Jar and Ocean City Bike Festival.

helipad | www.daat.org

The highs and lows - delivering critical emergency care in challenging times Many people have been impacted by Coronavirus, and this has been a particularly challenging time for our paramedics – their work is often physically, mentally and emotionally demanding but, during the pandemic, they have had to get used to delivering this exceptional care and medical treatment in a fast-evolving and uncertain environment. Two of our crew share their personal thoughts on what working through the pandemic has been like for them.

Jessica Thomas-Mourne

Lee Hilton

“ Despite Coronavirus lurking in the background for several months, I don’t think the severity of the pandemic truly struck until the point that both of our aircraft were grounded with immediate effect. Among the operational team there was significant uncertainty and anxiety as to how the comings days, weeks and months would proceed; we were concerned about the health and welfare of ourselves and our families, our friends and colleagues, and of course the patients that we treat. Numerous changes were implemented that meant our way of working was very different: the specialist and advanced paramedics were permanently crewed in pairs to minimise cross-infection which meant major rota changes for us. We began responding primarily on our critical care cars and, once modifications had been made to the aircraft such as the screen segregating the cockpit and the clinical space, we began loading and unloading patients through the rear of the helicopter rather than the side door, which is more challenging and time-consuming. Personal protective equipment was mandated which added physical stress due to the extreme heat when wearing it and meant that communication was more challenging. Some positives that have arisen during this time include us growing closer to our colleagues by working in smaller teams, recognition of the benefits of having our critical care cars available so that we can always reach the patients that need us as quickly as possible by road if needed, and the ability to attend our regular clinical governance sessions remotely – where we meet to discuss individual cases in more depth - so that both the ‘live’ operational teams based at our Exeter and Eaglescott airbases can dial in every month while on shift. ”

“ It is hard to believe that any organisation, team, or indeed individual will emerge the other side of this pandemic having not been affected by it in some way. This is certainly true of the organisation I work for, my colleagues, and indeed me personally. y definition of working as part of a Critical Care team, professionals are adept at rigorous preparation, planning, simulation training and detailed reflection. This ensures precision when dealing with often significant, lifethreatening critical conditions. One of the most challenging aspects of working through the Coronavirus pandemic is the impact it has had on this. Since the virus hit our shores, we have been faced with the challenges of rapid adaptation, uncomfortable uncertainty and a lack of, or conflicting, evidence which impacts on our decision-making and our ability to plan ahead. Despite these challenges, the team have adapted well and adopted rostering changes and responding by car in place of the helicopter as alluded to by Jess. We have secured a supply of personal protective equipment and introduced changes to make our working environment as safe as possible. I feel that any time of crisis highlights an individual’s personal challenges, their own level of resilience and their need for robust emotional and psychological support. Without doubt, I am truly proud of the team within which I operate. My colleagues have been outstanding during this di cult time and Coronavirus has shown the true compassion, care and determination offered by my professional colleagues. e have long regarded ourselves as a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service family. The strong connection we have developed within the team has allowed us to continue to deliver exceptional care to our patients despite the challenges. ”

Trainee Specialist Paramedic Critical Care

Advanced Paramedic Critical Care

summer 2020 | LOTTERY

One small way to help keep our crew safe... Now more than ever, joining our in-house Lottery is a really simple way to ensure Devon Air Ambulance keeps flying. Almost unbelievably, it’s nearly twenty years since we started our Lottery and now, with around 40,000 members playing each week, it generates around £2,000,000 each year – TWO MILLION POUNDS! - that’s about 25% of the funds needed for the service to keep operational and continue to help people, whether resident or visitor, across Devon. Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, our aircrew have had to wear a range of different Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items to keep them safe. Buying many of these items is a new and additional cost to the Charity – while each item individually is relatively inexpensive, they are also single use so, of course, we need lots of them! We thought you might like to see what some of our regular costs for PPE are: • • • • • • •

2 pk Gloves (short/long) - £1.50 Tyvex Cover All Suit - £14.95 each FFP3 Respirator Mask - £1.36 each Type 2 Surgical Mask - 55p each Over shoe Coverings - 14p per pair Goggles - £3.50 per pair Face Shield - £12.95

Double up for more chances to win! If you currently have one number, why not think about signing up for an additional number for an even better chance of winning – or how about asking friends and family to join. Not only will you be helping support our amazing emergency service charity, you have the added bonus of being able to win a great prize every week! Just fill in the application form overleaf and pop it in the post.

LOTTERY

roﬁle Tracy wen - Fundraising

mail t.owen daat.org

We thank you for every pound you give us; your £52 annual membership fee goes a long way to keeping our service going! Only

£1

anager

per week entry

10es of

Priz

£50

2nd & Prizes3rd

£135

e First Priz

£1350

Tracy has been with DAA for over years and oversees all aspects of fundraising, including working with those who have nominated us as their Charity of the Year, business supporters and our own in-house lottery.

Lottery Membership Application Lottery Membership Application

Thesum sum of of (tick only) The (tickone onebox box only) 1 Number 1 Chance

£4.34 Monthly Monthly £4.34

DAATLottery Lottery Offi Office, SandpiperCourt, Court,Harrington HarringtonLane, Lane,Exeter ExeterEX4 EX48NS 4NS DAAT ce, 55 Sandpiper Tel: email lottery@daat.org The01392 above469886 postaloraddress is all you need when contacting us by post. Staff I/D Number

2 Numbers 2 Chances £8.68 £8.68 Monthly Monthly

❑

£26.00 Quarterly ❑ £26.00 Quarterly £52.00 Half Yearly ❑ £52.00 Annually Six Monthly £104.00 ❑

£52.00 Annually NB: Monthly subscription ﬁrst£104.00 paymentAnnually is £5 per number FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Official Use Only

Payments to be paid on either 6th, 13th, 20th or 27th of each month First payment due immediately and thereafter on 6th or 20th of each month.

HP1116 HP0820

Your Details

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PLEASE COMPLETE IN FULL - BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS

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Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit Please ﬁll in the form and send to: DAAT Lottery, 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter EX4 8NS.

Name and full postal address of your bank or building society To: The M anager

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entries @ £1 per week per entry

Lottery promoted by Devon Air Ambulance Trust. Devon Air Ambulance Trust is licensed by the Gambling Commission, Number 000-0005032-N-308657-001. Responsible person: C. Creer www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk Please gamble responsibly. For advice visit www.gambleaware.co.uk DAAT is a member of the Lotteries Council and is committed to promoting a responsible approach to gambling. Contact us at : T: 01392 469 886 E: lottery@daat.org www.daat.org

Administration Office: DAAT Lottery Office, 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter EX4 8NS. You will shortly receive a letter from us showing your lucky number/s. There is no need to claim as all prizes are paid automatically.

All proceeds go to support the Devon Air Ambulance Trust Charity No 1077998. Your subscription is greatly appreciated as our Lottery raised over £2m which helps to keep both helicopters flying. We receive no funding from either the Government or the National Lottery. We rely on your support, to help us to continue our essential lifesaving service. Results are printed in the Plymouth & Devon Sunday Independent and published every Friday afternoon on our website at www.daat.org. Thank you for your support - you are truly making a difference.

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Instruction to your bank or building society Please pay DAAT Lottery Direct Debits from the account detailed in this Instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with The Air Ambulance Lottery Society and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my bank/building society.

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• All customer funds intended for the use in future gambling and or lottery subscriptions will be held in a separate bank account or accounts relating to the relevant affiliated charity lottery and will be completely separate from the Charity’s trading income. • We are required by our licence to inform customers about what happens to funds which we hold on account for you, and the extent to which funds are protected in the event of insolvency. www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/consumers/protection-of-customer-funds.aspx We hold customer funds separate from Charity’s funds. This means that steps have been taken to protect customer funds but that there is no absolute guarantee that all funds will be repaid. This meets the Gambling Commission’s requirements for the segregation of customer funds at the level: medium protection. • The licensee operates a strict no ‘cash policy’ to prevent the risk of crimes such as money laundering, to avoid the giving of illicit credit and to provide assurances that gambling activities are being conducted fairly. Banks and building societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of account.

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DAA would like to keep you informed about our work, how your support has helped to keep our helicopters in the air and how you can be involved in the future. We take the protection of your personal information very seriously and don’t share your data with any third party. If you would like to receive our Helipad magazine or occasional information about our charity please tick the relevant boxes below: Please contact me by email Please contact me by post

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summer 2020 | PATIENTS

The real impact of Lockdown N

eeding the emergency services at any time can be traumatic for all those involved. Needing the emergency services throughout the past few months of Coronavirus has had even greater consequences for our patients and their families. One such patient is Neil from Torquay, attended and assisted by both a land ambulance crew and Devon Air Ambulance. In May, Neil - helped by his wife - was finishing the building of a handicapped access ramp in their church when the circular saw he was using caught the sleeve of his sweatshirt and pulled his left arm into the saw, effectively amputating his arm above the wrist. His wife Katherine, with a limited phone signal inside, dashed out of the church to call 999. Still talking to the call taker, Katherine then returned to her husband and helped him apply a tourniquet using the electric fle from another power tool – luckily, eil had previous first aid e perience In just 5 minutes the land ambulance crew arrived and administered the maximum amount of morphine permitted – which, in eil’s words “just did not touch the sides of the pain”.

Within another few minutes, Devon Air Ambulance landed and Katherine was relieved to learn that the Air Ambulance team could administer an even greater level of pain relief. With Ketamine safely given, Neil was then conveyed to the land ambulance to be transferred to Derriford Hospital, with DAA paramedic Liam Kilbride

always someone there to raise his spirits – from the surgeons and nurses to the people taking his food order or cleaning the ward – everyone was 100% caring. For Katherine, meanwhile, the full impact of Coronavirus hit home. Having been

“ We can wallow in self-pity and think how unfair life is that it happened to me, or we can be grateful for being alive and think about how we can use our new situation to bene t ourselves and others – I choose the latter, especially as positive, happy, patients recover better and faster! ” in attendance. Asking if he could have anything else to take away the pain, Neil learned that he already had the maximum allowed but, thankfully, he arrived at hospital just 10 minutes later. The emergency surgery to save Neil’s arm took eight hours with three diﬀerent surgeons. Neil spent a further 10 days in hospital, and whilst no relatives could visit him, he was attended by ‘a fantastic team’ of medical staﬀ – every time he felt a bit down there was

traumatised herself by witnessing the accident, she was entirely limited to phone calls with the ward to find out how eil was doing. Katherine also had to re-live the trauma of the accident as she explained it each time to family and friends, none of whom could visit or offer the usual hug of support. Eventually, Neil was up to using the iPad for Skype calls, which offered some reassurance to Katherine. After Neil’s discharge from hospital, he began a series of

out-patient appointments in Exeter for physiotherapy and specialist hand rehabilitation. Neil explained, “I will know more in about six months but I’m aware this is probably a two-year recovery. I always say that we have choices in life. We can wallow in selfpity and think how unfair life is that it happened to me, or we can be grateful for being alive and think about how we can use our new situation to beneﬁt ourselves and others – I choose the latter, especially as positive, happy, patients recover better and faster! I just can’t thank everyone enough; I have had over 50 people looking after me and they were, without exception, just brilliant. Coronavirus and the lockdown took on a whole new meaning for us when I had my accident. But I’ll always be thankful to the ambulance service, the NHS and to Devon Air Ambulance for saving my arm, and my life.” Having learned that the Air Ambulance service receives no Government funding, Neil has recently made a private donation which in his words “could never be enough to repay the service I received”.

helipad | www.daat.org

The

Virtual Futu r e

NATE

of Fundraising

Fundraising is traditionally a ‘hands on’ experience - Peggie Clark, our Fundraising Communications cer, e plains how the DAA team had to move uickly and creatively into the world of virtual’ events when the pandemic hit.

ur fundraising 2020 plan started out much the same as previous years; our in-house DAA events were in the diary with venues booked and our community fundraising events diary was lling up with the wonderful array of activities organised by our supporters. Then the pandemic hit, the nation went into lockdown and our fundraising plan was thrown out of the window. vents were cancelled, bo holders closed, and we could no longer go into the community to engage with our supporters. ur fundraising income was severely affected in a way that we had not anticipated. ur fundraising team had to adapt uickly to the fast-changing situation and our whole approach to fundraising had to be revised virtually overnight. ith the fundraising team working from home we had to adapt our procedures and the way we connect with each other and our supporters as well as coming up with innovative ways to diversify our income streams. At the start of une we launched our first ever virtual event our #Base2Base Virtual challenge. This was a 40 mile challenge, the distance from our eter to our aglescott airbase, for participants to complete in up to weeks in whichever way they wanted – they could walk, cycle or skip their way to the finish.

T oo t e

irtual fundraising was completely new territory for us and we didn’t know what to e pect in terms of uptake from our supporters. But, what we did know was that doing nothing was not an option! In these unprecedented times we knew we were not the only ones struggling, with many of our supporters facing ob uncertainty and financial strains, we were aware that charity support was potentially not at the top of everyone’s to do list. ut we were overwhelmed with the response to the event - with over participants the event raised over , As we became familiar with the new normal, it was clear we were not the only ones adapting our fundraising plans. After the initial halt to all fundraising activities, which saw a significant decline in the number of online giving pages being created in support of us, we were delighted as our inbo es once again came alive with notifications of new online giving pages as our supporters began to adapt their own fundraising ideas to lone and virtual activities, including head shaves, virtual sporting challenges and online gaming, as well as many supporters signing up to national fundraising campaigns, including the ust iving . Challenge. nline iving platforms, including ust iving, irgin oney iving and Facebook have always been an integral part of our fundraising strategy. ith the ease of use for our supporters

nn n b es rom our rst ever rtual

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summer 2020 | FUNDRAISING and us, they provide an efficient and cost-effective service by reducing our administration process. Since the lockdown and with the diminished use of cash, they have become an even more essential tool for income generation. We’re aware that some fundraisers are reluctant to use online giving platforms due to the fees, deemed to be ‘cheating’ the charity of the full donation, but we really do encourage our fundraisers to use these platforms and to know that we’re ok with the fees. Not only are they a business with overheads and staff to pay, the online giving platforms eliminate lots of the administrative tasks that our team would have to do, allowing our fundraising teams to concentrate their efforts in other areas. But, for those of our fundraisers who still feel uncomfortable about the fees, we hope it will be reassuring to know that both Just Giving and Virgin Money Giving give the donor the option to cover the fees meaning the whole of their donation can go straight to the charity.

In addition to the sponsored fundraising activities, we are thrilled that we are starting to see adaptations of community fundraising events, including bake sales and village shows. The enthusiasm of our supporters to continue to fundraise during these unusual times is humbling and inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what other exciting virtual fundraising ideas our supporters will think of. As we move forward our fundraising team are continuing to develop ideas to futureproof our income, including online gaming, contactless donations and more virtual events. To keep up to date with our latest activities follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check out the fundraising pages on our website. While our fundraising income has taken a massive hit this year we’re excited about the future of fundraising and we hope you are too.  ere are ust a e o t e ntrep v rtual un ra sers rom t e Base2 ase C allen e

THINKING OF FUNDRAISING?

See our GET IN TOUCH section on page 3 If you are planning a fundraising activity of any kind - including virtual! - please do give us a call. We can o er support mater als suc as posters, balloons, collect on bo es an even runn n vests, an e can promote your event on our ebs te an soc al me a

helipad www.daat.org At the start in La Gomera, Canary Islands

Oar-Inspiring... hile most of us hunker down in the winter months and prepare for cosy nights in by the ﬁre, for four intrepid young ladies from ingsbridge, there was nothing cosy or comfortable about December and anuary .

egular readers of Helipad may recall the story from our winter 2018 issue of these four remarkable young women. Louise Read, Helen Symons, Chloe Harvey and Emily Read, who, as the Astro to Atlantic team, were undertaking the Talisker Whisky Challenge of rowing from La Gomera in the Canary Isles to Antigua, in aid of Devon Air Ambulance. Their success and achievement were awe-inspiring and, after continued fundraising throughout the remainder of , they finally presented the massive sum of , . ntrigued to find out more about their challenge, DAA’s Debbie regory caught up with one of the team, elen ymons. elen e plained that, far from the perception of it being a mental and physical test of endurance, she described it as the best-ever -day sleepover with her very best friends . The team sang, laughed, told very silly okes, played games and shared stories. e mostly rowed in pairs, and it didn’t matter who was rowing with who, we all ust loved it. e were all in such a good place mentally. e mostly did -hour shifts, occasionally with a third rowing for longer for an e tra boost. t never mattered who we rowed alongside, we all ust loved it. oor ou suffered terrible seasickness in the early days but never missed a stroke. The funny thing was that we’d e pected ou to be the one to mother’ the rest of us, instead it was us mothering’ her and encouraging her to eat despite feeling rough. There were, inevitably, some frustrations along the way. ne was the realisation that despite all their training being around coping with rough seas, high waves and hurricane-force winds, none of them had thought they would hit a weather front that was coming from the completely opposite direction to that anticipated. For several days they were simply rowing A A T the wind and, conse uently, making far slower progress than they’d e pected. That was very demoralising and frustrating, said elen. There was much shouting at the time, but we were all shouting AT the wind. e would plead for it to turn so that we could row T it, not against it. ventually their pleas were heard ater, it was the s ually winds that helped the girls

The team proudly sporting their DAA t-shirts

and, other than the issues of donning and doffing wet weather gear, they loved the speed that these winds helped them achieve. Another frustration was when the boat’s autohelm started playing up. After much scratching of heads, the girls eventually took it to bits – when they discovered that the repair was actually uite simple – and a massive sense of relief was felt by the whole team. Food was a massive highlight of every day. Along with their

summer 2020 | FUNDRAISING freeze-dried ration packs, they’d each also taken a supply of treats or snacks, some of which proved more valuable than others. “We all loved the jelly babies, fruit pastilles and wine gums and we’d plan our next single sweet treat only after we’d rowed for another 15 or 30 minutes. But we soon discovered that chocolate bars became a gooey mess as we neared the Equator!” The team had email contact with their families while they were at sea and all were delighted when they learned that the fundraising total was still increasing as sponsors and followers continued to donate. “We knew that every stroke we took was helping raise much needed funds; it was really motivational.” Their excitement for the finish gathered apace when they sighted land ahead. “After 45 days at sea, it was amazing to realise that we were THAT close to the end and we thought we would be there in about an hour. We all stayed awake, had a boat bath and found the clean, dry clothes we’d saved for the finish line… we had a group hug then rowed, and rowed, and rowed some more. Those last 10 miles seemed like forever and took about 4.5 hours - we certainly didn’t look so fresh by the time we hit dry land!” Helen continued, “Rowing in was incredible! It was 10.30pm on a Saturday night, so all dark, but we were surrounded by super yachts all lit up, other boat craft all with horns blaring, the people on the quayside and up on the local hill, all whistling, whooping and cheering – we really did feel like celebrities. We were on a high beyond our wildest dreams – we’d done it!” There was a massive welcome party for the team, that included several family members and friends who had travelled from the UK. Following some well-deserved celebrations, the team members then enjoyed some downtime on Antigua. “It was very odd in the immediate days after

we’d finished, as we all realised how much we missed each other. We’d had such great camaraderie on board, and there was, not surprisingly, a bit of a come-down after.” Back in the UK, the girls were invited to speak about their epic adventure at several events, each talk generating further funds for DAA. It was a privilege to meet the girls when they finally presented their total. Caroline Creer, Fundraising Director said, “We followed this challenge from beginning to end and everyone was so thrilled when they reached the finish line. The fundraising total is just incredible and an absolute testament to their hard work, efforts and accomplishment. Thank you all.” Concluding with Helen, Debbie asked if she had any advice for the Emergensea Girls, a team of two A&E Doctors from the RD&E hospital who had planned to row the Atlantic for DAA in December 2020 but, due to Coronavirus commitments, they’ve now postponed until 2021. Helen said, “We were told, ‘A plan is only as good as its ability to change’. The doctors have already had to show resilience and adaptability with this year’s pandemic – we wish them every success for their training and the challenge next year.”  Celebrating at the nish in Antigua

“ We’d plan our next single sweet treat only after we’d rowed for another 15 or 30 minutes. But we soon discovered that chocolate bars became a gooey mess as we neared the Equator!” ”

THINKING OF FUNDRAISING?

FUNDRAISING | www.daat.org

Fun & functional facemasks are a fundraising success! hen our country went into lockdown, we all found diﬀerent ways to ﬁll our time some changed to working from home, others caught up with long overdue decorating or gardening.

or Linda Gilbert, of East Ogwell near Newton Abbot, once the decorating and gardening projects were happily completed, she turned her hand to a diﬀerent hobby and raised much-needed funds for Devon Air Ambulance in the process. In early May, there was much in the news about the urgent need for PPE for medical teams, so when a midwife neighbour asked Linda, a keen craftswoman, to make a couple of facemasks for her and colleagues on the ward, she was happy to accept. Those ﬁrst few led to the beginning of some very long days and weeks ahead as demand grew. Linda’s facemasks are pleated in design with elastic straps. For comfort, a crocheted connector is an optional extra, allowing you to hook the elastic to buttons on the connector, rather than around your ears. Promoting the washable, fabric facemasks on a gallery on her own Facebook page, and the Facebook page for her village, Linda was amazed at the instant demand and at people’s generosity. he has often found envelopes of buttons through her letterbox and bundles of fabric left on her doorstep. hen rime inister oris ohnson advised that facemasks would be compulsory on public transport from 15th June, requests for Linda’s masks soared. With her sewing machine busy whirring all day, Linda put out a plea for help with the crocheted connectors and other villagers happily rose to the challenge to help. ’ve been so thrilled how people have rallied to help and know that so many people are just so grateful that their money is going to Devon Air Ambulance, inda e plained. ne local veterinary surgery ordered of the crocheted connectors, knowing that the . was going straight into the pot for the Air Ambulance. At my busiest was making over masks a day, which was adding at least each day to the pot, although the demand has slowed a little now. But, of course, with fears of a second wave, and the need to wear a mask in places such as hairdressers, I’m happy to carry on making them for as long as there’s a need. It’s been great to feel so productive throughout this strange lockdown time. earning about inda’s masks, DAA’s Debbie regory ordered eight for her family. Taking delivery of the masks, Debbie said, ith so many activities and events being cancelled this year our fundraising has taken such a massive hit, but we’ve been humbled by the new and imaginative ways

people have come up with to raise funds. inda’s support, and that of all her helpers and customers, is invaluable to Devon Air Ambulance, offering comfortable, washable face masks to the public A D raising much needed funds to help keep the service flying. inda’s efforts have already achieved over , which is absolutely fantastic ig thanks to inda for all her hard work. To order your masks, inda ilbert can be found on Facebook – the masks, in a range of colours, are ust . each and . each for the optional connector. 

THINKING OF FUNDRAISING?

summer 2020 | PATIENTS

When furlough plans go awry When mum of two, Alison Upton, went on furlough from her busy job, she was full of plans to entertain her children when they’d completed their homeschool lessons.

hursday 4th June was Alison’s rst day off and, with the slight easing of the lockdown restrictions allowing for further travel, Alison packed up the car for a day at Haytor Rocks on Dartmoor. Having spent so much time indoors during the previous few wee s, Emilia, aged , and James, aged , were een to run off some steam and were very happy to run up the hills. After a lovely morning scrambling up and down the rocks, the family stopped for a picnic lunch, enjoying the wind in their hair and the splendour of the great outdoors. ith lunch finished, milia and James wanted to climb a different section of the rocks. As milia climbed nervously, the more confident ames went on ahead, with warnings from Alison to ‘be aware of the moss, it’s very slippery underfoot’. All was going well, and Alison was happily helping her daughter to overcome her concerns about climbing, when James lost his footing and tumbled down the rocks beside them. anding feet first but crumpling to the ground, James wailed in pain. Alison faced a dilemma: staying with her daughter milia, who was very distressed about what had just happened and needed help to navigate down the rocks, and James

below them, screaming out in pain. Leaving her daughter with instructions to stay still, Alison hastily scrambled back down to James,

gentleman called 999, the lady went to help milia down from the rocks. Alison gave James her jumper as he became pale and shivery in the cool breeze.

about 10 feet below. It was immediately evident that he had landed heavily on his ankle, with his foot now at a very odd angle, but Alison was reassured to see that he hadn’t hit his head. Hearing the cries, a couple walking nearby rushed over. As the

The lady kindly stayed with milia and there was relief all round when they heard the sound of a helicopter overhead, and even James was distracted a little from his pain. Devon Air Ambulance paramedics Cat McMorrow and Lee Hilton

James and sister Emilia at Haytor

ran to the scene. “They were complete heroes,” explained Alison in a letter of thanks to DAA. “They were just brilliant immediately offering pain relief to James and reassurance to us both. They even had foil blankets to keep us warm.” Alison’s next dilemma was a choice of James going in the helicopter to hospital, but not being allowed to travel with him (because of the covidrestrictions), or the slower option of travelling with him in a land ambulance. “If his injuries had been lifethreatening, I would have opted for the helicopter without further thought,” she explained. “But he’s only seven, and I thought he’d prefer me to stay with him. So we missed out on the helicopter ride, for which he still hasn’t forgiven me!” James had broken his tibia and fibula and was discharged the following day with two pins fitted and his whole leg in plaster. Alison added, “So much for all the plans I’d made for being on furlough! But we’re so grateful for the help we received that day. The kind couple who stayed with us, the 4x4 team and land ambulance crew who took us to Torbay and, of course, the aircrew from Devon Air Ambulance who flew to our rescue.”

helipad | www.daat.org

h g u o l r Fu Focus

Devon Air Ambulance e ists thanks to the support of the communities it serves. e hear from some of our staﬀ who were furloughed during April and May and who, although unable to work supporting the Charity, were still able to give something back to their local communities.

he Government’s Job Retention Scheme, which saw millions of UK workers furloughed in response to the pandemic, was a big help to charities like Devon Air Ambulance at a time when incomes were seriously impacted. With charity shops closed and fundraising events cancelled or postponed, making savings on salaries was a necessary step to help safeguard the Charity’s future plans while retaining our skilled and dedicated staﬀ who would be ready to support revival eﬀorts when the time came.

Former HR Coordinator, Beth, helped her elderly and vulnerable neighbours with regular dog walking “When I was on maternity leave, I put a post on my local Facebook page offering help walking dogs for the elderly. My own dog, Bungle, loves other dogs and we’re often out walking in the beautiful Devon countryside. t felt like a good idea to repeat this offer during lockdown, so put another post on the local hub offering dog walking for the elderly and vulnerable. Whilst maintaining social distancing, we did a few odd obs for people, and we ended up walking a lovely Bichon Frise called Loki. oki belongs to an rish lady called Muira, who always has a tale to tell! As I’m no longer on furlough, I’ve handed the baton to my friend Bella and her little dog, Jesse, who continue to walk Loki three times a Bungle and Jesse week”.

Barnstaple shop Assistant Manager, Averil, got creative and helped to raise community spirits “Lockdown was a stressful time for many people and because we couldn’t get out into the community as much, we wanted another way to have fun - so our local village held a Coronacrow competition! Our own household made two scarecrows and placed them at the entrances to the farm. t’s been great seeing them bring a smile to passers-by and to en oy such creativity in the community during such a serious time”.

Averil’s grandchildren and their Coronacrow

summer 2020 | OUR STAFF

D tal Content Officer, aom , ot to or n er commun ty ma n ro en meals “With an eight year-old to home-school I was not short of things to do during lockdown, but being furloughed offered me the privilege of giving back to my community too. I was certainly one of the lucky ones: while many had to juggle work and childcare, for a few weeks I was able to deliver some of the lessons the school sent home. But it also felt important to make a positive contribution during what continues to be a very challenging time for many. With a couple of other local residents, I’ve been helping to establish the Grow, Eat, Do project in Cranbrook, East Devon. The project’s aim is to build community connections and enhance wellbeing in the new town by providing access to and improving knowledge around free, healthy food. The pro ect hopes to benefit those who are shielding, households that have lost work, or people who are struggling with mental health or caring responsibilities. These are just a few of the reasons why the availability of free meals is important. Following an initial £200 start-up grant from LiveWest, the project received a grant from the Devon County Council Covid-19 Prompt Action Fund of almost £5,000 to assist with the purchase of equipment, ingredients and resources needed to make the initiative’s activities an ongoing success and accessible to whoever would like to use the service.

Cranbrook Town Council generously lent us their kitchen facilities and we’ve also been lucky enough to draw upon donations from local businesses such as The Cranberry Farm Pub and Shillingford Organics, the latter of which has generously supplied a number of bags of ‘wonky’ veg since the start of the health crisis. Knowing that what we’re doing really helps people in the community is very fulﬁlling and we feel lucky to be able to continue the pro ect through the di cult months ahead .

ll o our sta are no bac rom urlou an br n n t e r s lls to t e Devon r mbulance e ort to ‘build back better ollo n loc o n an t t o ne loc o n l ttle ones an a lon over ue am ly pro ect to complete, t ere as never a ull moment or el pa sub e tor Debb e ur n urlou hen first knew was to be furloughed admit was disappointed. But I also recognised that this was an absolute gift – the gift of time. My daughter and her husband and young son Jack had moved back to the after five years in Australia and had moved in with us the weekend that lockdown began. Katharyn was also expecting baby no 2… And our older son and his wife were e pecting their first baby as well In early May, along came Dylan, a beautiful baby brother for Jack, and our lives got even busier. The icing on the cake, just five weeks later, was the wonderful arrival of Oliver to our son and his wife – and, lo and behold, we are now the proud grandparents of THREE

young grandsons Alongside my family duties, I had a lockdown project – Operation Photosort. This involved pulling boxes and boxes of old photos and ALL the old albums down from the loft. What a wonderful trip down memory lane it was. I found photos dating back to 1916, when my Great Grandmother wrote photo cards to my Grandfather while he was serving in World War 1. It took the whole 10 weeks that was oﬀ, but now have over albums, all in date order and all successfully annotated – my lockdown legacy for my children and grandchildren So, what with my growing family and my lockdown project, there really was ‘never a dull moment’.

helipad | www.daat.org

Devon Air Ambulance welcomes the 150th community landing site into operation T

he launch of the Newton Ferrers community landing site in the middle of June mar ed a signi cant milestone in the development of the county’s networ of sites. Each oodlit and surveyed site means that Devon Air Ambulance can reach patients ‘during the hours of darkness’, enabling our medical teams to land in the heart of our communities at night to deliver enhanced and critical care to patients. The Newton Ferrers community landing site, which is located at Butts Park playing field, has recently had new floodlighting installed – vital for illuminating the landing area - which can be remotely activated in an emergency. The lights are switched on by the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) Dispatcher based at the South Western Ambulance Service call centre with a phone call to an electronic control box connected to the switch mechanism. Once the crew have left the scene, the lights are turned off using the same procedure. During a training flight into the Newton Ferrers community landing site, Mr Philip Parry-Smith, Chairman of Newton and Noss Parish Council, said “We would like to thank Devon Air Ambulance for helping us establish a night landing site for the parish at Butts Park. The playing field provides a large open area for their night operations and, being close the main road, means that the most rapid treatment and evacuation of a casualty is now available to us until 2am every day. This facility is incredibly important in a large rural parish like ours, where people who fall ill, or are involved in an accident, will benefit from a speedy response by the Air Ambulance. We are particularly pleased that, alongside a grant from Devon Air Ambulance, a local resident generously covered the cost of the electrical installation, enabling the project to be completed in record time”. Toby Russell, Community Landing Sites Development Officer at DAA added “We would like to extend a big thank-you to everyone involved with the project in Newton Ferrers. We are really grateful to the huge number of people and organisations that have supported us by establishing the 150 community

Familiarisation and training ﬂight into the new ewton errers landing site

landing sites now in operation”. “The Newton Ferrers site was launched just as Devon Air Ambulance reintroduced full night operations after a phased reintroduction of the service following the challenges placed on the team by Coronavirus. We are clearly very pleased to once again be operating until 2am every day by helicopter and these community landing sites will ensure our teams can land at night to deliver urgent medical care to patients across Devon.” 

Our 150 operational CLS shown in green, and those currently in development shown in blue. Why not see if there’s one near you at www.daat.org/landing-sites or contact CLS Development Oﬃcer, Toby Russell, at t.russell@daat.org if you would like more information about creating a CLS in your community.

summer 2020 | OPERATIONS

NEW HELICOPTER UPDATE

G-DAAS

will be on its way to Devon soon!

DAA Pilots (left to right) - Steve, Craig, Craig and Richie - go ‘back to school’

n Friday 5th June 2020, a small team comprising Flight and manoeuvres learnt can be carried out competently as pilotOperations Director Ian Payne, Engineer Jeff Glover and in-command of that specific aircraft type. The theory e am is set Operations Manager Darren Goodwin visited the Airbus facility to test knowledge of the aircraft systems and limitations taught in Oxford to formally accept Devon Air Ambulance’s new during the first week of ground school. helicopter, registration G-DAAS. It’s generally hoped that the practical work consolidates the The formal acceptance process included a thorough theory and the exam is therefore relatively straightforward technical check of the aircraft including the interior medical fit but however experienced they are, pilots can still experience and the complex digital cockpit. elements of pressure and flash backs to long past e am week’ Once the technical checks had at school! been completed, the team from DAA Once the ‘visual’ section is were taken on an acceptance flight in completed, there is a further week order to observe various elements of of flying for each pilot to master all handling, autopilot and navigational elements of ‘Instrument Flying’ to aid functions. enable flying in certain controlled While converting to a new helicopter airspace and in cloud. This is the type is a relatively well-worn path aspect that will reveal the biggest for most pilots it does present some difference to pilots as they move challenges as there are inevitable from manual hands on’ flying to DAA Engineer Jeff works through differences between types - some managing what is a very clever and the technical check-list major - and these all need to be e cient flight management and thoroughly mastered before a autopilot system. number of tests are taken to ensure competency. We look forward to welcoming G-DAAS to Devon towards the Each pilot spends a week in ‘Ground School’ at the Airbus end of the summer and anticipate it will be commencing live facility in Oxford looking at the theory behind the aircraft operations in the autumn. We will then relocate our other nightsystems, followed by a further week’s training. This training flying capable aircraft, -DAA , to our aglescott airbase and period culminates in both a flying skills test and a theory e am. find a buyer for -D AA. hile the current situation has made The airborne element of this process is completed prior to the this sale more challenging, there is still quite a strong international pilot submitting their licence to the Civil Aviation Authority and market for a fully fitted -ready helicopter so we are hopeful demonstrates to the examiner that the emergency procedures it will find a new home in the not too distant future.  Darren Goodwin conducts interior checks

Ian Payne on the acceptance ﬂight

helipad | www.daat.org

Recognising our

local heroes

There has never been a more important time to look to the community and thank the individuals and groups who have helped us to get through a very di cult time. The ord ieutenant of Devon, Mr David Fursdon, spoke to Fitz about the situation within our area and what the future may hold as the county starts to open up.

What has life in lockdown been like? It’s been strange because my role representing the Queen is all about getting out and about meeting people, congratulating people, seeing what the community has achieved and of course I haven’t been able to do that.

stepping up to the plate. There has been some remarkable engagement with neighbours, the vulnerable, the old and with the isolated. I’ve heard some wonderful and heart-warming stories of how people have been helped through this terrible time.

Are the Royal family aware of the situation in Devon? Very much so, we are in touch with various members of the Royal family and obviously they are very keen to get back to normal when it’s safe to do so. I have written to the Queen on the situation and I’ve had a lovely letter back from her o ce. I am continuing to keep an eye on all aspects of county life and engaging with our communities.

What would you like to see happen in the future? There are some very early plans about various events at the moment. We would like to see people invited to an o cial garden party but I’m also thinking of perhaps hosting something within the county just to say ‘thank you’ to so many people who deserve it. When - and only when - we are out of this will we start to pull these plans together.

Is it fair to say the community has come to the forefront during this period? I have been absolutely delighted to see people

Do you have a backlog of awards? We are playing catch up with the award system at the moment as we still haven’t

he ord ieutenant oined us to help celebrate Devon Air Ambulance’s th birthday in

presented this year’s New Year Honours, British Empire edals or the ueen’s Award for Enterprise; we had four winners which is a record number And we would like to have some sort of Covid’ ecognition Award as well, so there may be some congestion for a while. My deputies are working harder than they’ve ever had to, trying to keep the ﬂow of information going and looking at how we make this happen. With so many people to recognise, is there going to be an ‘award’ overload? There will have to be a scale of recognition but we would like to thank people at all levels. When it comes to

BACKCHAT Pro le David FitzGerald - BBC Broadcaster and DAA Patron David ﬁrst began broadcasting on commercial radio in the early s, before moving to television. As well as a busy broadcasting career David still ﬁnds time for writing as well as en oying a regular round of golf.

honours, naturally a lot of people don’t want to stand out and they shy away from being put forward, so we have to work quite hard to make sure those people are recognised! Where do we start if we want to nominate someone for an award? You can contact my o ce at Devon County Hall in Exeter. There are two websites where you can ﬁnd guidance and advice on how to submit a nomination : the www.gov. uk national page or the Lord Lieutenant’s website www.lordlieutenantofdevon. org.uk/. If you have any queries we can always help you out. 

Fitz

Your generous support keeps Devon’s Air Ambulances ﬂying – to make a regular donation, please complete the attached Direct Debit form or follow instructions on the main menu of our website home page

Keeping in Touch Þ There are many ways to contact the team at Devon Air Ambulance: www.daat.org – You’ll ﬁnd lots of information about the Charity and our service on our website. If you’ve been airlifted, go to our Who We Help page and tell us your patient story. For all sorts of fundraising advice and information, go to our Get Involved pages

c Message us, like our page, share

our events, post photos if you see our helicopter and post a review if you’ve witnessed our service ﬁrst-hand

d For news from the aircrew and our Charity staﬀ, follow DevonAirAmb to see what we’re up to

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Email us at info@daat.org 01392 466666 Write to us at 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter EX4 8NS

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per month/quarter/year as appropriate) Please take Direct Debits (delete on 6th/20th of the month (delete as appropriate) Please take Direct Debits on 6th/20th of the month (delete as appropriate) We take your personal data seriously and do not sell on or share with any We take your personal seriously do not sell on or share third party. If you would data like to receive and our Helipad magazine or with any third party. If you would like to receive our Helipad magazine or occasional occasional information about the Charity please tick: Post information Email about the Charity please tick: Post Email I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ ___________ to Devon Air Ambulance I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ ___________ to Devon Air Ambulance I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ ___________ and any donations I make in the I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ ___________ and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years to Devon Air Ambulance future or have made in the past 4 years to Devon Air Ambulance Please notify the charity if you: notify thethe charity if you: •Please Want to cancel declaration Want to your cancel the or declaration •• Change name home address Change or home address •• No longeryour payname sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains • No longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains I confirm I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or I confirm I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference. is my responsibility to pay any difference.

The Direct Debit Guarantee Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. • If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Devon Air Ambulance Regular will notify you five (5) working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Devon Air Ambulance Regular to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. • If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Devon Air Ambulance Regular or your bank or building Society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society - If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Devon Air Ambulance Regular asks you to • You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building Society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us. • This

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Thank you to everyone who has continued to support Devon Air Ambulance during these challenging times

We really appreciate it!

Helipad Summer 2020

Articles inside

Critical Care Cars hile our helicopters were oÿ ine, our two new Critical Care Cars have made a vital contribution to maintaining our operations, enabling us to still get our highly skilled clinicians to the patients who needed them most - by road

Astro Atlantic fundraisers – truly oar-inspiring! Read how four plucky young women from Kingsbridge took on one of the world’s most dangerous and gruelling challenges, and how their bravery and determination raised over £45,000 for Devon Air Ambulance

Changing business but not changing support Many local businesses had to think ‘outside the box’ to quickly diversify in order to survive during these unprecedented times, but never forgot how they could continue to support DAA

We’re open! kur shops were impacted signifi cantly by lockdown but have worked hard to reopen ‘Covid-Secure’, as well as introducing other exciting and innovative ways to showcase the wonderful items we have for sale

The new world of ‘virtual’ fundraising Adaptable, innovative and creative – how our amaǄing Fundraising Team embraced the challenges of ‘virtual’ events

Innovation and collaboration With protecting our crew and patients of paramount importance, back in aarch we took the diþ cult decision to temporarily ground our helicopters - but our operations teams worked tirelessly with other organisations to get us back in the air as quickly as possible

Helipad Summer 2020

Articles inside

Critical Care Cars hile our helicopters were oÿ ine, our two new Critical Care Cars have made a vital contribution to maintaining our operations, enabling us to still get our highly skilled clinicians to the patients who needed them most - by road

Astro Atlantic fundraisers – truly oar-inspiring! Read how four plucky young women from Kingsbridge took on one of the world’s most dangerous and gruelling challenges, and how their bravery and determination raised over £45,000 for Devon Air Ambulance

Changing business but not changing support Many local businesses had to think ‘outside the box’ to quickly diversify in order to survive during these unprecedented times, but never forgot how they could continue to support DAA

We’re open! kur shops were impacted signifi cantly by lockdown but have worked hard to reopen ‘Covid-Secure’, as well as introducing other exciting and innovative ways to showcase the wonderful items we have for sale

The new world of ‘virtual’ fundraising Adaptable, innovative and creative – how our amaǄing Fundraising Team embraced the challenges of ‘virtual’ events

Innovation and collaboration With protecting our crew and patients of paramount importance, back in aarch we took the diþ cult decision to temporarily ground our helicopters - but our operations teams worked tirelessly with other organisations to get us back in the air as quickly as possible

Critical Care Cars hile our helicopters were oÿ ine, our two new Critical Care Cars have made a vital contribution to maintaining our operations, enabling us to still get our highly skilled clinicians to the patients who needed them most - by road