On Wednesday May 14th 10 members of the Science & Technology Group made their way to Baginton Airfield otherwise known as Coventry Airport which over the years has been a popular departure point for holiday makers and before that the site of a military aircraft factory owned by Armstrong Whitworth where the Hawker Hunter, Gloster Meteor and Avro Vulcan bombers were made post WWII. These days it is operational as a postal hub and the base for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) - HEMS - Helicopter Emergency Medical Service. HEMS is an emergency back-up service to assist in moving critically ill patients to hospital from the scene of accidents and other traumas. It is totally funded by voluntary contributions and is not paid for by the taxpayer.
As a group we were escorted airside by one of the fund raisers named George. Soon seated in the training room where a paramedic named Pip explained the structure and the basic operation of the WNAA which was founded 23 years ago. The aircraft is summoned by the 999 control centre when an incident is classed as critical. Ground based road ambulances will head for the scene in the normal way. The crew on board the aircraft will vary according to who is on stand-by - it could be a doctor, a surgeon or a paramedic all specialists in their field but highly trained to deal with medical emergencies outside the hospital. Stabbings and cardiac arrest cases are the most common with RTC becoming fewer as car safety and passenger crash protection in vehicles continues to improve.
The helicopter was out on a shout attending a serious RTC on the M42 motorway near junction 6 but no doubt would return to base during our visit and which we soon heard on its approach overhead. After their debrief and re-equipping the helicopter we would be allowed to meet the pilot Simon and the attending paramedic Matt. Simon was based at Sywell where the helicopter goes for servicing.
The pilot Simon an ex ex-military man gave us a full description of the aircraft and how it flies. Built in Italy an Augusta Westland with a top speed of just under 200 mph highly streamlined with retractable wheels and powered by two Pratt and Witney gas turbine engines, it was described by Simon as the Ferrari of the Skies. Matt the paramedic onboard showed us some of the medical and diagnostic instruments available and explained that they only buy the best as they are in control of their budget without intervention from the government or NHS policy. They carry enough fuel for one and a quarter hours flight. They do not operate after dark.
We returned to the operations room where a wall to ceiling ordnance survey map was displayed. A magnetic pointer placed on the map at the location of an incident via strings and pulleys would move a pointer on a scale to give 2 sets of 6 figure grid reference co-ordinates and the flight time for example to Brixworth about 9 minutes from take-off from Baginton.
This was a most enlightening visit for the group and we made a cash donation of £260 on the day for which the group received a certificate.
