Why did the air ambulance get sent out for a minor injury?

Given the cost of deploying an air ambulance, people, particularly donors and supporters, are quite right to question why we respond to apparently minor injuries or sometimes turn up to find we aren't needed. There are many reasons of course as every call is unique but these generally fall into one of two categories.


Location, location, location!
The criteria we apply in Devon go beyond the straightforward life or death 999 calls because of the unique character of the county. We have two long and rugged coastlines, two wild and remote moors and more narrow country lanes through rolling countryside than you can shake a stick at.


More often than not, if we are attending to a minor injury it is because the patient is in a remote area or inaccessible by road. In these circumstances, what starts as a minor injury can easily lead to a more serious situation. A good example of this is an elderly person with a badly sprained ankle on Dartmoor. A long wait in the cold for a rescue party to stretcher them off the moor could lead to complications like hypothermia and shock.

Additionally, some relatively minor injuries like a broken ankle, if not treated quickly, can lead to permanent disability and even loss of limb.

Finally, physically stretchering someone off the moor or across farmland places both patient and rescuers at further risk.


Poor information
Sometimes the 999 message can make it sound as though the injury could be more serious than it turns out to be. Callers are frequently confused, distressed and unable to give a clear description of the patient's condition or even whereabouts. One of our HEMSdesk despatchers told me of one caller who insisted he was on the A30 at Ashburton (an impossibility for non-local browsers!). In either case, it is better to be safe than sorry as any delay could be life-threatening.

Another frequent situation is that there are a number of 999 calls made about a single incident because more people have mobile phones and will report an accident, perhaps on the other side of a dual carriageway. They aren't able to confirm details but might report a car has rolled over or a motorcyclist collided with a lorry. Again, people can and do walk away from incidents like this but our crews are not going to sit around waiting for someone to confirm whether they are or are not needed when crucial minutes might be wasted if they are.

To sum up, we'd much rather be on our way and then stood down than not go until we are called in by a land crew by which time much of the speed advantage of the aircraft is lost. The introduction of specially trained despatchers has significantly reduced the number of aborted missions over the last year but we would be very concerned if there were none.

Why shouldn't the Government fund Devon Air Ambulance?

Devon's Air Ambulance service was founded within the community by a local mum, Ann Thomas, who lost her son Ceri when he was knocked off his bicycle. The doctor's who treated him explained that the only thing that might have saved him was getting treatment within the so called 'golden hour' after the accident.

Thanks to Ann's tireless efforts over 6 years we were able to begin operations in 1992 and, 17 years later, we have just passed our 15,000th mission thanks to literally hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters and funders across the county.


Devon is unique in having two air ambulances for one county. This is only thanks to the enormous generosity of the people, businesses and community groups of Devon who work so hard to support the charity. It is also because down here we recognise the importance of retaining community ownership and control of such a vital resource. We want an air ambulance service dedicated to meeting local needs and aspirations rather than Westminster or Whitehall driven targets.


As one of our patient's put it to me last year, the service doesn't just benefit the individual treated or airlifted but also their family, friends, colleagues, employers and whole communities. So, with something this important to so many local people, we believe it is safest if it remains a local charity, owned by and for the people of Devon and accountable first and foremost to the people who make the service possible through their unstinting support.


Our job is to make sure we get the best possible value for money from every penny donated and as local people ourselves we fully understand why this is so important. It really is about real people saving real lives. Check out our website for more info.

Why does Devon have two Air Ambulances?

Devon is the only air ambulance operation in the UK to have 2 aircraft covering just one county for two key reasons.

As the millions of people who visit Devon each year know, it is a beautiful, rural county with large areas of remote moorland, miles and miles of rugged coast, and more areas of outstanding natural beauty than you can shake a stick at. It has one of the longest road networks in the UK, a huge proportion of which is unclassified. Down here that means single track lanes with 12' high hedges, spangled with wildflowers, and grass growing in the middle of the road.

The downside of these characteristics is that, in an emergency, vast areas of the county are either inaccessible by road or simply a very long distance from hospital. So far in 2009, both aircraft are averaging 3 missions a day and are frequently operational at the same time: reason 1 - Devon needs two air ambulances.

Most importantly, the people, businesses and communities of Devon know a good thing when they see it and know that these are their air ambulances providing the service that they want and need: reason 2 - the amazing generosity and support given to the charity has made it possible to have two air ambulances. Every day, somewhere in the county, people are doing wacky and wonderful things to raise funds, playing our lottery, putting spare change in a box at the post office, remembering the charity in their wills or organising an event.

Our job is to ensure we safeguard this vital life-saving resource for generations to come - no pressure then!