General

• Road traffic incidents decreased by 10% during the lockdown.
• Falls and cardiac arrests most common incident type.
• Twice as many Men responded to by Yorkshire Air Ambulance compared to women throughout the year.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a lifesaving rapid response emergency service 365 days a year to the five million people across Yorkshire. On average, the charity responds to five incidents across the entirety of the region every single day.

Like many charities across the UK, the recent pandemic brought many new challenges to Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the charity has had to adjust to a new way of working, flying in the face of COVID 19.

Between 1^st April 2020 and 31^St March 2021, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance responded to 1,365 incidents across Yorkshire, treated 922 patients and 123 patients were flown to hospital.  A 10% decrease in operations from the previous year, much of which can be attributed to operational changes due to the pandemic.

This trend followed throughout the year with April (16), November (72) and December (78) being the charities operationally quietest months as the nation obeyed the governments stay at home message and locked down once more.

After the three week deployment back to the frontline, the YAA crew then returned to their duties.  However, as lockdown measures were steadily eased and Yorkshire Air Ambulance became operational again, incidents quickly rose by 20% with August being the busiest month of 2020 with

165 incidents responded to – an average of five incidents a day. This was closely followed by 142 incidents in July.

To ensure crew safety and minimise any risk of COVID transmission, the YAA helicopters were adapted with safety measures, including Perspex screens to separate the cockpit from the cabin.  During this period, the YAA’s Rapid Response Vehicles came another crucial way of delivering vital care to patients, ensuring the Critical Care Team with their specialist skills could attend an incident. This led to an increase 58 % of incidents responded to by road (141 in 2019 vs 223 in 2020).

As more people continued to work from home, road traffic incidents dropped by 10% accounting for only 130 incidents out of 1,365, compared to 254 out 1,523 in the previous year. Falls from height, which also includes climbing and falls during leisurely pursuits such as walking, was the most common incident of the year, followed closely by cardiac arrests (111) which dropped by over a third (36% compared to the previous year (174)).

Farming incidents, which also includes incidents where walkers are attacked by cattle increased by 60% (16 in 2020 vs 10 in 2019) attributed to more people out and about enjoying their local countryside. Positively however, mental health related incidents dropped by 55% (40 in 2019 and 18 in 2020).  Stabbing and gunshot incidents added to 3% of the incidents Yorkshire Air Ambulance attended last year.

Men (610) were almost three times as likely to be involved in an incident responded to by YAA compared to women (233) and the patient group most frequently treated by Yorkshire Air Ambulance were the 40-65 age group.

North Yorkshire, one of the most popular tourist spots in the region topped the records for the most falls in the region (24), South Yorkshire had the most D.I.Y injuries (8) and West (38) and East (31) Yorkshire experienced the most cardiac arrests.

Mondays were the busiest day for incidents throughout the year with 223 incidents, a rise of more than 10% (13%) compared to 2019 and Thursdays were the quietest days. Weekend incidents also rose by 10% in 2020 (393) compared to the previous year (357), where incidents were more dispersed throughout the week.

Matt Syrat, YAA Clinical Operations Manager, commented: “The pandemic had a direct impact on the care we were able to deliver by air but its important to realise that the brief time away was spent helping the frontline battle of the first wave of infections, preparing us, mentally, physically and clinically, for the return to air operations. It has been an incredibly difficult 12 months but the resilience and professionalism our staff have shown have made me proud to be part of such an amazing team.”

*Data taken from the last financial year 1^st April 2020 – 31^st March 2021 and the previous financial year 1^st April 2019 – 31^st March 2020. The numbers in brackets refer to the amount of patients treated by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

New data released by Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) reveals that the Charity was the victim of 14 hoax phone calls in the last financial year.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is an independent charity providing lifesaving rapid response emergency treatment to people across Yorkshire. The charity responds to more than 1,300 incidents a year, an average of four a day.

In the last financial year, between April 1^st 2020 and 31^st March 2021, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance responded to 14 hoax calls, and in 2021 so far (January 1^st – 10^th May) the charity has responded to 10.

The bogus call outs were mainly in West (10) and South Yorkshire (4) with October 2020 and January 2021 being the busiest months with three per month.

Matt Syrat, Clinical Operations Manager, commented “There is no way of knowing if a 999 call is a hoax when it comes in.  We have to treat every call as if it is an emergency situation and respond rapidly.  When a call comes in there are no significant indicators that it might be a hoax as the caller is asked a series of questions about the emergency by the 999 call handler – that doesn’t become apparent until emergency responders arrive at the scene to find no emergency.”

Matt added “There is nothing more frustrating for our crews than landing at a scene and establishing that the call was in fact a hoax.  Not only has it wasted our time and put ours and the public’s life at risk, but there will always be other emergency services involved too – the ambulance service, police and even the fire service depending on the alleged nature of the hoax.  Committing all these emergency services to one hoax call could risk us not reaching a real emergency fast enough and puts other lives at risk.  Then there is the cost of calling everyone out and tying up our resources.  None of us can comprehend why someone would want to do this to the emergency services.”

Four hoax calls were responded to by Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs) and 10 incidents involved the aircraft being dispatched.

Matt concluded “We would urge people to never even contemplate making a hoax 999 call as it could have devastating consequences.  Every time our aircraft is dispatched to a hoax incident, it prevents us from attending genuine emergencies where our care could be the difference between life and death for someone’s loved one.”

The work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance can be seen on the TV documentary series Helicopter ER which is broadcast on the Really channel.

ENDS

A North Yorkshire farmer who was rescued by Yorkshire Air Ambulance earlier this year after being trapped against a gate by his own tractor has donated £10,000 to the life-saving charity.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is a life-saving rapid response charity serving 5 million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year. The Charity operates two state-of-the-art Airbus H-145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

On 11^th February 2021, farmer George Houghton, 84, was carrying bales when his tractor rolled forward and pinned him against a gate post. As it veered towards him, it also ran over his right leg.

George laid trapped for almost an hour and couldn’t breathe as the front wheel was wedged behind his shoulder. Luckily, George had his phone on him and was able to call 999 and alert the emergency services.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance initially dispatched their Topcliffe aircraft with two of their HEMS Critical Care Paramedics, but once the extent of George’s injuries were revealed, they dispatched a second aircraft with a Critical  Care Doctor on board to administer powerful analgesia.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew assessed George and he was flown to Preston Royal Hospital for further treatment. He was rushed immediately for surgery on his right leg.

George has since returned home for recuperation, however, he is still under the care of the team at Preston Royal Hospital and is due to have further plastic surgery on his leg later this year.

The money donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance is on behalf of his late wife Betty and his children, Paul, Richard and Maxine. Speaking of his donation, George said:” I hope this donation will help to save other lives as I wouldn’t like them to have the pain that I have been through. No one knows if they will be the next victim.”

Linda Stead, North Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser, said: “We would like to thank George for his very generous donation to Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The £10,000 donated will help many other major trauma victims like George receive the best rapid response care that we provide.

It costs £12,000 a day to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances maintained and in the air and support such as George’s is the life-blood of our Charity.”

George’s accident will also feature on the hit TV series Helicopter ER, which follows the day to day work of the YAA, later this year.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) are delighted to confirm that they will be replacing their current Airbus H145 D2 helicopters with the next generation aircraft by the end of Summer 2023.  The YAA will be the first organisation in the UK to receive the brand new, 5-bladed H145 D3 model.

The two current YAA helicopters, G-YAAC and G-YOAA, which came into service in 2016, will be replaced by a more advanced and state-of-the-art version of their current model, the Airbus H145.  The decision to replace the helicopters is to ensure the people of Yorkshire receive the best operational and medical service from the life-saving Charity.

Steve Waudby, Director of Aviation explains: “Our two current helicopters, G-YAAC and G-YOAA have served us well since 2016 and will continue to do so for another few years.  However, the typical effective lifespan of an air ambulance helicopter is somewhere between 7 to 10 years, so we are placing a timely order now for delivery in 2023, whilst taking advantage of early Airbus production line slots, as this helicopter has become very popular within the air ambulance community.  There have also been a lot of advancements made to the H145 since we bought our current aircraft – both technically in the cockpit, and medically with regards to the equipment we carry.   We had the choice to look at retrospectively fitting these technological advancements or upgrading to brand-new helicopters that include everything as part of their specification.  Given the complexities of helicopter mechanics, we would have also faced a longer lead time with having everything retrospectively fitted rather than buying new, so it was sensible for the Charity to upgrade the helicopters for new ones.”

The first of the two new helicopters is expected to arrive in Yorkshire in Spring 2023, with the second following shortly after in Summer 2023.

Steve added “If we had taken the decision to retrospectively fit all the extra technology and equipment we needed, by the time that had been completed we’d have been at a point where we would have been starting to look at replacing our current helicopters.  Bringing our plans forward by a year or two means we get best value, as well as bringing two even better state-of-the-art helicopters to the people of Yorkshire.”

Advancements to the new model includes a 5-bladed rotor head which will provide a smoother flight for the crew and patients, on board Wi-Fi to allow patient records to be updated inflight, and a cutting-edge secure communications system which will allow the crew to send patient data ahead to their destination hospital, allowing Doctors and Nurses to start evaluating and assessing the patient before they arrive.  There will also be an improved medical fit alongside some of the most advanced and innovative equipment for treating patients at scene and in-flight.

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA commented “We are delighted to be able to announce our plans for these new helicopters.  The H145 has become the most popular new aircraft globally and we are very much looking forward to welcoming the two new models to Yorkshire in Spring and Summer of 2023.  Our current H145 D2 helicopters have served us well, so there was no question about considering other makes or models – it is fast becoming the air-ambulance helicopter of choice within the air ambulance sector.”

Peter continues: “We have been financially planning for these replacements since G-YAAC and G-YOAA commenced their operations in 2016 and with prudent, planned savings, careful budgeting, and building our reserves we are now in a position to move forward.  This has only been made possible through the generosity of individuals, groups, businesses and organisations whose support is so gratefully received. Our aim has always been to provide the people of Yorkshire and its visitors with the best possible air ambulance service, and by upgrading our helicopters in 2023 we can continue to ensure we are futureproofing and modernising our operations and service delivery.”

The new helicopters, complete with full medical fit out, will cost approximately £15.3M which is being funded through careful financial planning and reserves.  Current aircraft G-YAAC and G-YOAA will be sold to offset some of these costs.

Gary Clark, Head of Civil Business, Airbus Helicopters in the UK added: “We greatly appreciate this show of confidence from Yorkshire Air Ambulance in once again selecting the H145 to replace its current helicopter fleet. The new version of the H145 with its five-blade, bearingless rotor gives an even smoother ride and 150kg greater useful load, plus the potential for longer endurance without refuelling – all important factors in helping air ambulance operators do their vital work more efficiently than ever. We wish YAA well in their daily operations.”

The YAA documentary series Helicopter ER, providing an insight into the vital work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance is to air a special Critical Hour episode next week detailing one real-life emergency minute by minute with first-hand commentary from the crew who were on the frontline.

On 15^th October 2018, Aaron Hill, a bus driver from York, was driving to work in his vintage Jaguar, when his car skidded in the wet weather and careered off the road into a ditch.

The impact of the crash immediately shattered both his thighs and trapped both of his legs and an array of emergency service personnel had to work against the clock to extract him, in fear that he would lose both his legs.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was deployed to help Aaron, which included a team of specialist medics. Dr Brian White, an off duty YAA Consultant and a member of BASICS, an association of doctors that respond to emergencies in their spare time, rushed to the scene.

Al Day, YAA HEMS Paramedic who treated Aaron, said: “One of the things about working on the air ambulance is that time is really important and one of the biggest advantages of having a helicopter is that you can get to the scene of an incident quickly.”

Dr Brian White, YAA HEMS Consultant, said: “When I got there, it wasn’t carnage, but you could see the huge amount of energy being transferred into this car which was deformed. It was laying on its side and the gulley to access it was very difficult. Having a look in, I couldn’t see where his legs were going. The gearbox seemed to be moulded around them.”

“It’s really difficult arriving on scene and seeing someone trapped in pain and not being able to do anything until he is extricated. The longer he was trapped, the more concerned I was getting. He wasn’t bleeding torrentially, but a slow bleed could have still translated into Aaron suffering a cardiac arrest”, he continued.

After being trapped for several hours and extracted by the fire service, a decision was made to fly Aaron to Leeds General Infirmary.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Aaron had broken his thigh bone, vertebrae in his spine and sustained neck and skull fractures. Doctors battled to save Aaron’s foot, but unfortunately, it had to be amputated.

Speaking of his injuries, Aaron said: “The road to recovery was long and rough. I was in Leeds General for Infirmary for around a month and I was told that I would be bed bound for nearly a year and I just wouldn’t have it, so I got myself a wheelchair and started moving as much as I can.

The longer half of my leg was partially severed. The doctors made a big effort to save as much as they could, but after a couple of days, they said they would have to start operating. I made the decision to lose my foot because I was told by a lot of experts that it would be very specialised to have a prosthesis made up for just a small portion of my foot. I just said take everything off so I can get back to normal as quickly as I can.”

Aaron defied medics and has now learned to walk again, drive again and he’s now back to work as a bus driver.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Aaron said: “Easingwold was part of my bus route and I used to see bucket collections for the YAA and spare the change from my lunch.  Little did I know that I would need them in the near future. It must have been a horrible day for them. They turned up and made some very difficult decisions, but I’m here today. I have a huge amount of respect for the emergency services. You never realise how much you need them until you have an incident.”

The episode airs on Channel Really at 10 pm on Tuesday 20^th April.

On 4^th September 2020, Algy Kazlauciunas was cycling in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire when his bike wheel skidded on an oil slick in the middle of the road and his body was thrown on to a grass verge.

“It was one of the most unfortunate things that has happened in my life. An old truck had disposed of oil on the road and I hit the oil and that was it, I had no chance. I immediately realised that I couldn’t move and that no-one was there to help me”, said Algy.

Luckily, two cyclists that were not far behind him stopped to offer assistance.  Struggling to work out their exact location, one of the cyclists, luckily had the What3Words app installed on their phone. The What3words app can pinpoint a location within a three-metre square radius by giving the user a unique three-word code. It can save crucial minutes when searching for causalities at the roadside.

Whilst calling 999, Peter Jackson, one of the cyclists, quoted the What3Words reference ‘INFLATION, SURFER, INNER’ which led the emergency services straight to Algy’s location. Due to the severity of his injury, Yorkshire Air Ambulance also dispatched their Topcliffe aircraft.

Speaking of the air ambulance’s arrival, Algy said: “I remember the helicopter arriving and landing in the field and I wasn’t on the ground for too long before they took me to hospital. I was impressed by the people who stopped and were so helpful with everything. It was a real joy in terms of humanity.”

Algy was flown to Harrogate Hospital, where tests revealed that he had fractured his femur. He endured a long operation to pin his leg back together and have a rod inserted, and spent four days in the hospital recuperating before being sent home.

Unfortunately, Algy hasn’t been able to get back on his bike just yet, but he’s planning to cycle again once the weather is warmer.

“I’ve been cycling in the garage for the last three months and I nearly went out for the first time one day, but I couldn’t do it. As soon as the weather is decent, I’ll be back on my bike again”, said Algy.

Algy, who wasn’t wearing a cycling helmet at the time of his incident, said: “Since the accident, I have realised what a dangerous situation it is to be cycling without a helmet. I will definitely be wearing one in future.”

Matt Syrat, Clinical Operations Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “There’s a lot of rural areas and less identifiable roads in Yorkshire and if a person cannot distinguish where they are, it can delay the time it takes for emergency services to reach the incident.  What3Words enables us to pinpoint a nearly exact location of the casualty using the three words given to us by the call taker and we can dispatch immediately. The What3Words app is invaluable to saving lives, especially in remote areas of Yorkshire.”

Algy’s incident is set to appear on the reality TV series Helicopter ER on Channel Really at 10PM on 23^rd March 2021. The episode also features a 50ft fall in the Three Peaks and a patient trampled by cows in Coverdale.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

ENDS

For more information please contact YAA PR and Communications Manager Jessica McDonnell on j.mcdonnell@yaa.org.uk or 01422 237900/ 07384517193

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s recycling partner, Recycling Solutions, are celebrating raising more than £120,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) in their first year of working with the Charity, thanks to donations from generous supporters across the region.

Recycling Solutions are a family run textile recycling company based in Heywood, Lancashire. Since 2007, they have been working with charities and local authorities to reduce the amount of textile waste going to landfill.

Businesses, community groups and individuals in Yorkshire have been recycling their unwanted clothing and shoes at over 230 Recycling Solutions textile banks situated across the county, with locations increasing every month.

For every item of clothing or pair of shoes donated, the YAA receives a percentage of the sale of the donated goods. Good quality items are re-sold to second-hand clothing traders in the UK and worldwide.

James Cook, Recycling Solutions Director (North West), said: “My organisation, Recycling Solutions North West has been given the privilege of working on behalf of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to raise funds via clothing recycling schemes. We are extremely proud to be tasked with this, our aim is to provide an exemplary service to the charity and the local community whilst raising significant funds every month, raising in excess of £120,000 in just 12 months has been a fantastic achievement, thank you to everyone who has placed their clothing and shoes in our clothing banks across Yorkshire. “

Katie Collinson, Corporate and Partnerships Manager for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “Since we started our recycling scheme over 16 years ago, we are very close to having raised an incredible £3 million pounds. It costs £4.4 million every single year to keep YAA saving lives across the region and our recycling scheme gives us sustainable income that we can rely on. We are very grateful to everyone for their continued support and generosity.”

Anyone wishing to donate unwanted clothing and shoes can do so by visiting their nearest clothing back.  These can be located by inputting your postcode on the bank locator on the YAA website: www.yaa.org.uk/get-involved/recycling/ recycling-bank-locator

To celebrate National Careers week 2021 (1^st – 6^th March 2021), Yorkshire Air Ambulance have spoken to four of their latest recruits about their experiences working for the air ambulance charity.

The new Paramedics form part of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team, comprising 11 Consultants in Emergency Medicine and 20 Paramedics who work as crew on the two YAA helicopters delivering the life-saving service 365 days a year to 5 million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire. The Paramedics are seconded from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance partner Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, on a two-year basis.

Steven Dawber

Steven Dawber from Brough has been a qualified Paramedic for the last 12 years. He started his medical career in 2002 working on non-emergency patient transport, then progressing to A&E and in 2008 he sat his paramedic exams. His career has been predominantly spent working in Hull where he also became a Clinical Supervisor in 2013 and was seconded to the post of Clinical Development Manager before joining YAA.

Speaking of why he joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Steven said: “I had reached a point in my career where I wanted to challenge myself again and go to jobs where I could learn more skills and push myself. Working at YAA offers a different method of transport, different skills and medication and most importantly, you can make a difference to someone’s life. I saw this on my first week of work here, where a journey by land would have taken 40 minutes, but it took just 4 minutes by air.”

Gemma Richmond

Gemma joined Yorkshire Ambulance Service in 2002 as a Technician and worked at Menston Ambulance Station as an AEMT (Advanced Emergency Medical Technician) until she was offered a position at HART, Yorkshire’s Hazardous Area Response Team. It was there she completed her paramedic training and remained on the unit for eight years before joining YAA.

Gemma said: “I really wanted the opportunity to experience life as a HEMS Paramedic. I spent eight years working across Yorkshire providing a HART response so now is a really exciting opportunity to provide a similar response but arriving to the emergency in a completely different way and providing my patients with a wider variety of clinical skills. I really enjoy working alongside the Doctors, providing a critical care response to the patients in the greatest need and I’m looking forward to learning a huge amount from the Doctors’ experience in pre-hospital care over the next two years.”

Georgina Godfrey

Georgina Godfrey is from Sheffield. When Georgina left sixth form, she started her working life as a dental nurse, following in her family’s footsteps. However, a year later she decided to pursue a medical career, an ambition that stemmed from a serious fall Georgina had when she was younger and after being inspired by the medical team that helped her.

Georgina went to Sheffield Hallam University and qualified as a Paramedic when she was only 21 and joined Yorkshire Ambulance Service in 2012, progressing to a Clinical Supervisor in 2017.

Speaking of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Georgina said: “I’ve worked alongside Yorkshire Air Ambulance many times in my role at Yorkshire Ambulance Service and I’ve always been impressed by their teamwork and their care for their patients.”

Mike Williams

Mike Williams joined Yorkshire Ambulance Service in 2009 after seven years in the Army. Originally based in Harrogate as a Paramedic, Michael moved to Leeds as a Clinical Supervisor prior to accepting his new role at the Charity.

“Being based in rural North Yorkshire, we often encountered Yorkshire Air Ambulance on jobs and working for them has always been something that I wanted to do,” said Michael.

He continued: ”I’m really enjoying getting out there and putting all the training into practice, whilst learning from all the YAA Doctors, Paramedics and Pilots.“

Yorkshire Air Ambulance secured grant funding for a Pro Simbodies Thoracotomy Trainer, which will help their crew practice the complex procedures that they carry out on-scene at many of their incidents.

The grant to purchase the manikin was generously awarded by the Jack Brunton Charitable Trust and the Tesco Bags of Help grant scheme, generated from the sale of reusable bags in store.

The thoracotomy trainer is a repairable and operable manikin that can be sutured back together to practice thoracotomies. A thoracotomy is an emergency surgical procedure and can be performed by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team at the roadside. It provides adequate exposure of the heart and lower chest area to drain blood from around the heart, predominantly required as a result of penetrating chest trauma or blunt trauma where a blockage is suspected.

The thoracotomy trainer is the latest addition to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s suite of manikins. The Simbodies are anatomically correct, life casts to give them the look and feel of a real person. They enable members of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance team to practice complex procedures without the risk to patients, in a safe training environment.

The Simulation suite, where they use the manikins, is a fully immersive training room that can be adapted to replicate various real-life trauma situations.  It features 360 degree projectable walls, a scent dispersal machine and is temperature-controlled. The simulation suite not only tests the paramedics’ clinical skills, but it also tests their sensory system, to replicate what might happen on a call out.

Matthew Syrat, Clinical Operations Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “Our new Thoracotomy trainer will enable the team to practice not only the physical method of the procedure but will also allow us to manage the sensitive human factors that often surround it. This is a relatively rare procedure, and this makes it incredibly important that we all know what our roles will be during the real-life event. We cannot thank the Jack Brunton Charitable Trust, along with Tesco Bags of Help, enough for their generous help to allow us the opportunity to purchase this manikin for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

Derek Noble, the Jack Brunton Charitable Trust Chairman commented: “We are delighted to support this latest life-saving project by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The Jack Brunton Charitable Trust has supported the Charity for many years, in recognition of the vital service it provides to rural communities across North Yorkshire. We hope that this new training equipment will help the Critical Care Team save even more lives across the region.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to

raise £12,000 to keep these two air ambulances maintained and flying over Yorkshire, saving lives every day.

When dealing with the most serious major traumas in Yorkshire, time is of the essence and it is paramount that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team can reach their patients in the quickest way possible.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is delighted to announce that they have introduced two custom-built Skoda Kodiaq Rapid Response Vehicles to their fleet of life-saving vehicles which will enable the Charity to extend its operations during adverse weather conditions, when their aircraft are offline for routine servicing and when, in some circumstances, it is quicker to get to the patient by road than by air.

The two new vehicles were custom-built to meet the needs of the air ambulance service and they are fully capable of carrying the same life-saving equipment found in both our helicopters, enabling the Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew to bring the same expert care to the scene of an incident as they do with their aircraft.

One of the vehicles will be based at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Nostell airbase and the other at their North Yorkshire Topcliffe airbase, allowing the Charity to service the entirety of Yorkshire when patients require the specialist skills of their Critical Care Team.

Peter Sunderland, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Chairman, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome two new rapid response cars to our fleet of life-saving vehicles. These cars will make a huge difference to our operations in adverse weather conditions and in places unreachable by aircraft, enabling us to provide swift medical interventions that could have a major impact on a patient’s chance of survival and subsequent quality of life.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Mark Benevolent Fund, Henry Surtees Foundation, Morrisons Foundation and the Tesco Bags of Help scheme in York, who have kindly sponsored the vehicles.”

Matt Syrat, YAA Clinical Operations Manager, said: “The capabilities of our new rapid response vehicles will allow us to be able to get to patients during periods of aircraft downtime or extreme weather which render flying impossible, ensuring we can deliver prehospital care in the right place and at the right time.”

Darren Coleman-Heald, Charities Manager at the Mark Benevolent Fund, said: “The Mark Benevolent Fund is delighted to have joined forces once again with our partners at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. This all-important project and the vehicle provided reach deep into the heart of your community and will be a certain lifeline to many. The Mark Benevolent Fund is the official charity of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, the third largest branch of Freemasonry. Our 35,000 members will be pleased to know that their donations are being used wisely, helping those in need and saving lives right across Yorkshire.”

Nick Smith, Executive Director of Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “The long-standing partnership we have with YAA is a great asset for the Yorkshire region and the addition of these two rapid response vehicles at YAA will extend the reach of the Critical Care Team to treat more patients who are in a serious or life-threatening condition.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

For more information, please contact Yorkshire Air Ambulance PR and Communications Officer, Jessica McDonnell on j.mcdonnell@yaa.org.uk or 01422 237900/ 07384 517193

Life-saving emergency services charity, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) have welcomed two brand-new hi-tech promotional fundraising vehicles to their fleet.

The two Fiat Ducato vehicles have been specially designed and built to allow the YAA fundraising teams to take a state-of-the-art educational supporter experience out on the road and into communities.

Equipped with interactive technology, the vehicles feature a replica cockpit from their H145 helicopters, with screens showing aerial footage of the views the crews experience whilst flying in the air ambulance helicopters.  Also featuring in the vehicles are screens for presentations and interviews with the crew, interactive iPads for an immersive user experience and a seating area where supporters can chat with YAA staff and volunteers.

The outside of the vehicles has been wrapped with distinctive YAA branding meaning the vehicles are instantly recognisable.

The promotional vehicles will also play an active role in the YAA’s brand new schools educational project, which aims to teach children about the service and inspire the next generation of supporters.

Having taken over a year to design and build by Derby-based Neat Vehicles, the purchase of the two Fiats has only been made possible through generous funding and sponsorship by long-standing YAA supporters B.Braun Medical Ltd and the Yorkshire Freemasons.  Each have pledged to support one of the vehicles.

Both organisations are dedicated long-standing supporters of the Charity, with Sheffield based B.Braun Medical working with the Charity for over 17 years with both financial and professional support, and Yorkshire Freemason’s from across the region offering ongoing fundraising and financial support.

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA commented: “These two new promotional vehicles mark a significant advancement in our educational and fundraising experiences, but have only been made possible due to the generous support from both B.Braun Medical and the Yorkshire Freemasons.  We genuinely cannot express our thanks enough to them to make all this possible.  The new vehicles will be key to our future community fundraising and educational activities.  They will help us pave the way for a new immersive style of interacting with the public and our supporters, which we hope will engage both new and established supporters alike and will showcase our life-saving work across the Yorkshire region.”

Paul Steel, Aesculap Academia Managing Director, B. Braun Medical Ltd. said: “The promotional vehicles look just fantastic. We’re delighted that we’re able to support such a wonderful project which will enable the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to have educational and fundraising benefits across Yorkshire. We have supported the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for many years, encouraging people and businesses to get behind the charity and we know that these vehicles will make a huge difference to the vital work the fundraising team do in the community. It will open up opportunities to attend events that previously might not have been possible.”

Yorkshire Freemasons West Riding Masonic Charities Chairman, Stuart Cadman, explained that they were providing the funds jointly with neighbouring province, Yorkshire North and East and said: “We are really pleased and delighted to be part of the YAA promotional vehicle project at a time when many charitable and community initiatives and fund-raising have been impacted by the effects of COVID-19.  The YAA is at the very heart of our community as it continues to help save lives throughout Yorkshire and Yorkshire Freemasons, through the generosity of our members, are proud to be able to continue our support for this vital emergency service.”

After an initial planned launch this summer, the project has been severely delayed due to the unimaginable impact COVID-19 has had on both the YAA and the nation as a whole.  The charity are hoping that they will be able to start utilising the vehicles in local communities in Spring/Summer next year when the impact of COVID-19 starts to safely subside and are following national government guidance and advice.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

BP Chemicals Ltd has raised more than £5,000 for rapid response charity, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA).

BP located at the Saltend Chemicals Park near Hull, is the largest producer of acetic acid and acectic anhydride in Europe, Both Chemicals are key building blocks for a wide range of applications including paints, coatings and washing detergents, as well as the preservation of food.

BP employees in Hull voted for YAA to be their ‘Charity of the Year’, due to its prevalence in the Hull and East Yorkshire region.

Andy Carter-Fea, shift process technician at bp, and a member of the site’s charity committee, said: “YAA was chosen by our team in Hull due to the life-saving work it does across the region. You never know when you will require the YAA’s assistance.

“We’re proud we can contribute to helping YAA provide its services across Yorkshire.”

The £5,470.89 was raised through employee engagement activities (including a coast to coast ride),  Easter egg and Christmas events, and a recycling initiative, where employees were asked to recycle ear plugs (part of their personal protective equipment).

Bob Smailes, East Yorkshire Regional Fundraising Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We would like to thank the bp employees for their continued support and generosity. Organisations large and small play a critical role in raising vital funds and awareness for our charity and the £5,470.80 will help greatly towards the £12,000 a day required to keep both of our helicopters in the air and saving lives across Yorkshire.”