Vital lessons in life saving at East Anglian Air Ambulance visit
A 20-strong group of members and guests of Stalham
Farmers’ Club had a fascinating behind-the-scenes visit to the East Anglian Air
Ambulance headquarters at Norwich
Airport.
As the charity prepares to launch 24/7 operations in
autumn 2020, members were briefed on what has been a record year by chief
executive Patrick Peal.
An amazing £14.4m in donations funded this vital work
as a total of almost 1,800 missions were flown last year. Norfolk
topped the list with 1,234, Suffolk
473 and Cambridgeshire 466 missions. In addition, there were 1,023 specialist
road responses by the dedicated medical team.
Mr Peal said that the EAAA would need to raise £13m a
year to operate a full 24/7 service from late 2020. The Cambridge-based
helicopter has just extended its hour to provide cover from 7am until 1.30am.
However, the proposed phased expansion will help to provide crucial extra cover. It
is estimated that there would be a 20 to 22pc increase in mission capability
for an 8 to 10pc increase in costs.
Plans have been submitted to Norwich City Council for a
major expansion of the current headquarters, which will allow all operations to
be brought together on a single site. The £6.5m scheme will also include
investment in new hangers, training and patient after-care facilities. These
plans are likely to be discussed early next month
At present, the charity’s 75 staff are split
between different locations around Norwich airport.
Since the EAAA launched its first aid training
programme in June 2018 led by critical care paramedic Mark Milsom, it has held
courses for more than 2,500 people in basic life saving skills. Groups
receiving this basic training have included young farmers, Countrysiders and
Women’s Institutes.
With cardiac arrest accounting for more than a third of
call-outs, practical on-the-stop CPR or heart/ chest massage can dramatically
boost survival rates
Sir William Cubitt, chairman, said that almost every
YFC group in East Anglia
had taken up this training opportunity. And from September 2020, secondary
schools will be required to give basic CPR lessons as part of the National
Curriculum.
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Patrick Peal CEO