North West Air Ambulance
Encyclopedia
The North West Air Ambulance is the helicopter emergency medical service that covers the counties of Cheshire
, Cumbria
, Lancashire
, Greater Manchester
and Merseyside. It is a registered charity
.
and has since upgraded to two state of the art Eurocopter EC135
aircraft one based at Blackpool Airport
the other at City Airport Manchester.
aircraft which have top speeds of over 150 miles per hour - no location in the North West of England is more than ten minutes flying time from one of the Air Ambulances.
Although the two aircraft have their allocated counties, they will often cross into each other's areas should operational needs require it.
. The medics are extensively trained in areas such as helicopter safety, navigation and aviation law as well as advanced medical procedures beyond those performed by their land based colleagues.
The Pilots
, along with the helicopters themselves are provided from an outside contractor: Bond Aviation Services. All North West Air Ambulance pilots are highly skilled ex-military pilots .
Control of the aircraft was, until recently, the responsibility of the Emergency Medical Dispatchers working in local North West Ambulance Service
control rooms. However there is now a central "Air Desk" at Ambulance Control in Broughton, Preston which prioritises requests for the Air Ambulance in an attempt to increase efficiency
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
and Merseyside. It is a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
.
History
The charity has existed since 1999 . It was established with a single aircraft based at Blackpool AirportBlackpool Airport
Blackpool International Airport is an international airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport....
and has since upgraded to two state of the art Eurocopter EC135
Eurocopter EC135
The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules .-Development:...
aircraft one based at Blackpool Airport
Blackpool Airport
Blackpool International Airport is an international airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport....
the other at City Airport Manchester.
Aircraft
The North West Air Ambulance consists of two Eurocopter EC135Eurocopter EC135
The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules .-Development:...
aircraft which have top speeds of over 150 miles per hour - no location in the North West of England is more than ten minutes flying time from one of the Air Ambulances.
- G-NWAA - based at Blackpool AirportBlackpool AirportBlackpool International Airport is an international airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport....
and uses air traffic controlAir traffic controlAir traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
callsign Helimed 08. This Aircraft generally covers the Northern counties of Lancashire and Cumbria.
- G-NWEM - based at City Airport Manchester and uses air traffic controlAir traffic controlAir traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
callsign Helimed 72. This Aircraft generally covers the Southern counties of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
Although the two aircraft have their allocated counties, they will often cross into each other's areas should operational needs require it.
Operations
The Paramedics who provide the life saving treatment on board the Air Ambulance are provided on two year secondments by the North West Ambulance ServiceNorth West Ambulance Service
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS ambulance service trusts operating in the United Kingdom....
. The medics are extensively trained in areas such as helicopter safety, navigation and aviation law as well as advanced medical procedures beyond those performed by their land based colleagues.
The Pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, along with the helicopters themselves are provided from an outside contractor: Bond Aviation Services. All North West Air Ambulance pilots are highly skilled ex-military pilots .
Control of the aircraft was, until recently, the responsibility of the Emergency Medical Dispatchers working in local North West Ambulance Service
North West Ambulance Service
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS ambulance service trusts operating in the United Kingdom....
control rooms. However there is now a central "Air Desk" at Ambulance Control in Broughton, Preston which prioritises requests for the Air Ambulance in an attempt to increase efficiency