4-Dec-2012 Source: Wales Air Ambulance
Wales Air Ambulance’s Swansea based air ambulance attended its 8,000th mission on the 28th November 2012.
The service has now been in operation for 11 years from Fairwood Airport, Swansea, starting as a 5 day service which was launched on St David’s Day 2001. Wales Air Ambulance has since expanded to having three helicopters across Wales which are on active duty 7 days a week.
As a whole service, Wales Air Ambulance has attended more than 16,500 incidents all across Wales.
The Swansea based helicopter’s 8,000th mission was a call out to attend a female patient who had been struck by a bus in Barry and sustained serious head injuries.
The HEMS paramedics treated the patient on scene before taking her to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff to receive specialist treatment for her injuries.
Speaking on the 8,000th mission, CEO of Wales Air Ambulance Angela Hughes said: “When Wales Air Ambulance first started out we had one helicopter which was able to cover South Wales. Now we have three helicopters in strategic positions across Wales, including the most advanced air ambulance in operation in the UK.
“The fact that our Swansea helicopter has now reached 8,000 missions speaks volumes both for the need of such a service and the fantastic public support we as a charity have received over the years. Due to the nature of our service we are not eligible for government or national lottery funding and it’s only through generous public donations are the helicopters able to fly,” added Angela.