We lift our 100th patient during the hours of darkness and make plans for the year ahead.
Just because it’s dark, doesn’t mean people don’t get ill or have accidents. This is something Devon Air Ambulance recognised and, since November 2016, we have been flying up until midnight every day.
Last week we treated our 100th patient when it was dark, going to the aid of a lady in Paignton who had been involved in a road traffic collision.
Nigel Hare, Operations Director for Devon Air Ambulance, explains:
We recognised several years ago that our service could be of benefit not just in the day time
,but also at night. A lot of work went into making flying at night possible, including training the crew,and the addition of equipment both on and in the helicopter. This includes night vision goggles (NVGs), which cost in the region of £18,000 per pair. We need four pairs.
Heléna Holt, CEO of Devon Air Ambulance adds:
It’s only thanks to the amazing support we receive from the communities, businesses and friends of Devon that we are able to further increase and improve the service we offer. Everything we do operationally puts our patients at the forefront. The next step is to extend our night time flying hours further early next year to 2am.
