SCAA announces second base location
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance has announced that it will opening its second base in the city of Aberdeen, with intentions to make the base operational by 2019.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has announced that it will opening its second base in the city of Aberdeen, with intentions to make the base operational by 2019.
The charity currently operates out of Perth airport, supplementing the Scottish Ambulance Service. The base will allow for the service to expand its fleet, doubling the number of air ambulances operating in Scotland. The decision to house the new base in Aberdeen was made after lengthy talks between SCAA and the Scottish Ambulance Service, in consultation with other key stakeholders, the service explained.
“SCAA is frequently tasked to emergencies in the north east and having an air ambulance based there will optimise the coverage and resilience of the country's entire emergency air response –
helping to fulfil one of the Scottish Trauma Network's key objectives of transporting patients to a key trauma centre such as Aberdeen within 45 minutes of serious illness or injury,” said SCAA founding Chairman John Bullough. He added that the addition of a second helicopter ‘is a testament to the level of support and public engagement that we have received nationally’.
“The second SCAA helicopter will be based in Aberdeen and, like the Perth helicopter, its deployment will be integrated with our own emergency response air ambulance fleet. This will add very significant capability, bringing fast medical care to very unwell patients as well as quick life-saving transport to hospital if required,” said Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service, Tom Steele. “We are very grateful to SCAA for its massive fund-raising effort and to the Scottish public for their generous support.”