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As part of Kent Air Ambulance Trust’s 20^th Anniversary year, which gets underway on December 23^rd 2009 – the date of the life saving charity’s very first airlift in 1989, the trust has decided to give people the chance to cycle around the Caribbean’s largest . The cyclists will raise funds for the charity in the process.

 

Six members of staff at the trust have signed up for the challenge of a life time – cycling 350 kilometres over 5 days from the Bay of Pigs, famed for the US aggression on Cuba in 1961, through towns and villages to Trinidad, a World Heritage Site, before finishing the ride in the Bay of Cienfuegos, a stunning colonial bay with panoramic views.

Team KAAT – it has to be said is made up of an eclectic mix of individuals to form a dynamic team that between them has to raise over £20,000 for the charity and with your help – they can do it!

Between now and November 2010 – ‘Team KAAT’ will embark on one of the most ambitious fundraising attempts by staff at the charity to date, by taking part in all kinds of events, many are in the planning stages, some are still being dreamt up and could involve losing valuable coverings on the body! It really will be a year of fundraising in the hope of securing vital funds for the charity, before giving blood, sweat and tears of pain (and laughter) during the challenge itself!

The team:

Beverley “Tally Ho” Thorne – Head of Charity Services

“Leggy” Hyder – Fundraiser

“Biscuit” Balderstone – Critical Care Paramedic

Caroline “Super” Cooper – Events Coordinator

Dave “Oooh Byker” Marshall – Critical Care Paramedic

Kevin “The Captain” Goddard – Air Ambulance Pilot

So what is the Air Ambulance service all about? Well, it’s difficult to imagine - but put yourself in the place of someone involved in a terrible accident. Hearing the sound of helicopter blades indicates the seriousness of your injuries but it means you are more likely to survive – it is then that you are flown to the closest trauma centre.

In the emergency medicine world, there is talk of the “golden hour” - the first hour after an accident. It is a crucial 60 minutes and statistics indicate your survival rate is at its highest if your treatment is delivered within that golden hour.

It is not an emergency service that you can access from your home – the Kent Air Ambulance Service is requested by the land ambulance crew or is dispatched by a highly skilled paramedic who is based at the SECAMB (South East Coast Ambulance Service) headquarters. The helicopter and its HEMS crew are, on average three times a day sent to accidents and major illness cases, when a patient is difficult to reach – like on a farm or in woodland, and always when speed is the first priority.

The helicopters carry a pilot, who has extensive flying experience and considerable flight time on their log book. The medical crew includes a specialist doctor and a critical care paramedic, who are both trained to the highest medical standards. Their MD902 Explorer aircraft has the capacity to transport up to two patients at up to speeds of 150 miles per hour.

On board is equipment rivaling that of the highest level of ground emergency transportation - effectively the Kent Air Ambulance Service flies the Accident and Emergency room to the patient, including sophisticated devices, oxygen, heart monitors and medication. The patient is then treated at the scene, before being transported to the most appropriate hospital for the care they need.

The pilots must be able to land safely on motorways at rush hour, on beaches at high tide and close to suburban neighbourhoods - all within the guidelines of the Civil Aviation Authority.

In December 1989 first experienced an Air Ambulance service, before it was expanded to two bases serving , Surrey, East Sussex and in June 2007. Today, many people benefit from their Air Ambulance service directly or when a loved one is saved by the intervention of the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) team and air rescue.

The Air Ambulance in , Surrey and costs £3.5 million pounds a year to stay fully operational. The charity receives no funding from the National Lottery and relies almost entirely upon the generosity of the public to support both helicopters at Marden and Dunsfold. Air Ambulances are expensive to maintain and operate, but they add a much needed immediacy to delivering emergency care and because of this, many lives are saved every day.

While you read this, you can breath a sigh of relief that due to the continued support and generosity of people in – this service is there should you be in a situation one day where you or a loved one might need it.

Please give generously….and thanks.