New staff, helicopter for GWAAC
Five new members joined the team at the start of August, along with an EC135 T2+.
Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) in the UK has gained new staff members and a more advanced helicopter.
Five new members joined the team at the start of August, including: CEO Anna Perry; critical care paramedics Dee Gordon, Jack Kilminster and Mark Kinsella; and Andrew Holstock, who is a new full-time pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM) doctor.
John Wood, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST) air operations officer and specialist critical care paramedic for GWAAC commented: “Our new crew members are joining a team that deliver the highest level of emergency assistance to the people of our region, and I am very pleased to welcome them onboard.”
The new aircraft is an EC135 T2+, registration G-GWAC, which can hold more fuel and heavier loads than the EC135 the charity previously leased. The new machine will allow the team to stay in the air 45 minutes longer than before, and enable the crew to carry additional equipment if needed. Among other minor upgrades, GWAAC highlighted updated controls – and comfier seats, giving the crew a more comfortable flying experience.
Speaking of the charity’s new helicopter, Perry said: “The distance that the crew travel for jobs has been steadily increasing since we started operating in 2008, and in June we had our longest ever flying time when we attended a job in Pembrokeshire, which involved a total of 4.5 hours in the air. In order to do this, we had to refuel twice as we then took the patient to hospital in Birmingham. We are delighted to have received our new helicopter, as it means that we can now deliver our life saving emergency care to people across a much wider area, helping a larger community than ever before.”