Our aircrew is taking part in a 37-mile challenge to help raise awareness of the charity and raise much-needed funds.
We have two helicopters and two emergency response Critical Care Cars that may swiftly come to the aid of local people in the event of a medical emergency.
One of each of these vehicles is located at two different airbases: at Exeter Airport and another in North Devon at Eaglescott Airbase. The DAA aircraft can reach even the furthest parts of Devon in around 15-20 minutes to deliver the specialist critical care that their patient may need.
Everything the crew uses to provide this care has to be portable so that it be carried to the patient, wherever they may be. Much of this life saving kit is carefully packed into two large red and blue response bags each weighing approximately 17kg each.
On the 15 May, at the start of their day shift, two intrepid crew members, Dr Dave Potter and Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care, Alex Sanders-Page, will be setting off from the charity’s North Devon Airbase and will walk over 37 miles to their Exeter airbase, each carrying one of those huge response bags.
A 10-hour jaunt
Their aim is to reach their destination in around 10-11 hours. To further enhance the challenge, the route is not direct and reflects the back lanes and rural country roads that the DAA crew often find themselves navigating to reach their patient.
DAA crew arrive for their shifts 365 days of the year and use their expert knowledge, the vast range of equipment, and, of course, the Helicopter and Critical Care Cars to look after their patients. Being a charity that receives no government funding, all of this is only possible due to the donations that are received from kind and generous donors.
A busy training schedule is already underway for this mammoth task and the progress of the Airbase 2 Airbase Challenge can be found on their Facebook page.
If you are a business and would like to support Alex and Dave before or during the challenge as they make their journey across the county, please get in touch by sending contacting Devon Air Ambulance’s Corporate Engagement Manager Tracy at [email protected].
This fundraiser has now finished, but we welcome your continued support.
