Wiltshire Air Ambulance lands at new base
On 20 March, UK-based HEMS operator Wiltshire Air Ambulance carried out its first landing on its new helipad
On 20 March, UK-based HEMS operator Wiltshire Air Ambulance carried out its first landing on its new helipad.
This milestone was followed by the official handover of the airbase to Wiltshire Air Ambulance. The building will now be fitted out before the charity’s fundraising, administrative and operational teams move in by this summer. David Philpott, Chief Executive of Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “Today has been a significant day in the history of Wiltshire Air Ambulance with the handover of our new airbase. We are now in the final phase of the building work as we undertake the fitting and equipping of it before it becomes operational.
The new airbase has a Flight and Operations Centre for its aircrew, a hangar for the helicopter and medical equipment, offices for the charity team, training suite and a visitors’ viewpoint. Kevin Reed, Head of Facilities and Security at Wiltshire Air Ambulance, has led the new airbase project on behalf of the charity and said the site at Semington was chosen after an exhaustive search. He said: “When we became a stand-alone air ambulance three years ago our aspiration was to find a location to build the best possible airbase to bring together our charity and operational teams and to have full control over our future. The site at Semington is ideal because it is centrally located and will allow our helicopter to reach all parts of Wiltshire within 11 minutes, as it currently does now from its base in Devizes. In addition, as there is no ambulance station in Melksham our paramedics with their critical care skills will provide enhanced medical cover for the area for emergencies such as road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests and strokes.”