Individual pictures of Crew
 Max Hoskins (Pilot) |
 Phil Merritt (Pilot) |
 Paul Owen (Paramedic) |
 Leonie German (Paramedic) |
 John Penny (Paramedic) |
 Mark Williams (Paramedic) |
 Simon Trenchard (Paramedic) |
 Greg Peacock (Paramedic) |
 Mike Rowland (Paramedic) |
 Andy Ransom (Paramedic) |
 Andy Packham (Paramedic) |
 Steve Freeman (Paramedic) |
 Nigel Brown (Paramedic) |
 Tobias Rihm (Paramedic) |
A Typical Day A Typical Mission by Simon Trenchard
Beep, beep…. Beep, beep…. Thump. It’s 06:00 and my alarm has just gone off!
Today is the start of my four-day rotation, which we all do every four weeks and living in Bournemouth, it will take me about an hour to travel down to Henstridge, where we are based.
I have been based on the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance four and a half years now and have worked in accident and emergency ambulance operations for eight years. I have learnt through my time on the road and in particularly the air, that there is never a typical day and certainly not a typical mission. There are however, some similarities.
Before booking on duty with both our East and West Control Rooms each day, there are several essential things that must be done. Firstly, the ‘Red Phone’, which is a mobile phone and the primary method of contacting us at any point on the ground, is switched on. Drugs and fluids that we may need throughout our shift are booked out from the safe and any items off equipment that have been on charge over-night, need to be taken out to the aircraft.
Secondly, together with the pilot we prepare the aircraft for flight and check the quality of the fuel to make sure it is fit for purpose and that no water, for example, has got into the supply over night. ‘Bungs’, which prevent birds from nesting in any of the aircrafts vents, are also removed. All of the on-board equipment such as the response bag; oxygen levels; splints; spinal immobilisation boards; suction; defibrillator and heart monitor are all checked.
Finally, once all this has been done, the kettle should have boiled and the pilot can give the ‘morning brief’, which consists of a comprehensive weather forecast for the day and any problems that it might present to us. It is at this point, that we are now ‘online’ and await the first call.
It’s 10:50 and the ‘Red Phone’ alarms. It is Ambulance Control West, based in Exeter who is tasking us to convey a patient, which an ambulance crew is already dealing with. Due to the severity of the patient’s injuries and the remote location in which they are in, they have requested the Air Ambulance. All we know at this stage is that a sixty-year-old male has flash burns to his head and arms, which were caused by an electrical fire. The location and a grid reference to pinpoint the required landing zone are also given… A route is planned! Whilst this is being done, the other Aircrew Paramedic together with the Pilot, make their way out to the aircraft to start pre-takeoff checks. The second Aircrew Paramedic then makes their way out to the aircraft and the mission takes to the air.
Whilst in flight, the route is discussed with emphasis always on flight safety and identification of hazards such as other aircraft, power cables, trees, and when coming into land – animals, people, low level wires and basically anything that will move when we create three tons of down draft!!! We also discuss which preferred hospital we will go to and always have a backup plan in case of any unforeseen bad weather incurred during the flight or if a patient’s condition deteriorates. We fly at approximately 150 mph and cruise around 500 ft, so as you can appreciate, things can happen quickly! Twelve minutes later, we are in ‘orbit’ above the incident and are all looking out to survey the landing site below.
We have already performed pre-landing checks two minutes out from scene and all know our roles on the ground. We land in a field, which is one of the most common landing sites we use. They are normally large, open and the safest place to land. After a ‘thumbs up’ from the pilot to leave the area of the rotor blades, we make our way forward to the land crew who are waiting to handover the patient. The aircraft is shut down, which can be done in thirty seconds and the pilot ‘turns’ the front seat, enabling both Aircrew Paramedics to face the patient and the stretcher is pulled out on its runners.
Speed is of the essence. Any time wasted on the ground takes the edge off of the mission. Poorly patients benefit from being flown at high speed over great distance to the most appropriate facility. We return to the aircraft and the patient is placed on the aircrafts stretcher, secured and loaded. Further pre-takeoff checks are completed and within fifteen minutes of landing at scene, we are well on our way to the hospital.
During the flight, the patient is constantly assessed though blood pressure, oxygen saturation levels and ECG monitoring equipment. Pain relief together with oxygen and fluid therapy are continued en-route.
The flight only takes seven minutes and following a landing site survey we are soon on the ground. The patient deteriorated slightly during the short time we had contact with him despite the care and treatment that we gave. A full trauma team was requested on standby, which took note of our handover and received the patient well.
Following a short debrief amongst us, any waste is cleared up, equipment stowed away and the aircraft is now ready again for flight. Although we have flight duration of two hours, we contact control through the radio system identifying ourselves available for further commitment and request to return to our base where we refuel and await the next mission!
