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DEVON AIR AMBULANCE T


BY GINNY WARE


hroughout our county we have peace of mind that should we need the lifesaving services of


TOTAL MISSIONS FOR 2020: 1,507


TOTAL MISSIONS SO FAR THIS YEAR, JAN-OCT 2021:


By Air: 1213 By Critical Care Car: 388


Attended: 1,026 patients


Busiest Vehicle: Helimed 70 - Exeter Aircraft


Busiest Day: Sunday


Busiest Hours of the Day: 11am-1pm


191 Missions have been in the hours of darkness


emergency medical professionals wherever we may be, Devon Air Ambulance are ready to respond. The Devon based charity delivers time


critical, pre-hospital care to those suffering either through trauma related or medical incidents, but that was not always the case. In 1986, Ann Thomas’ son Ceri was


tragically killed in an accident in East Devon when he was knocked from his bike. Ceri was taken to the Royal Devon and


Exeter hospital by land ambulance but sadly, he died from his injuries. When Ann asked the doctors what could


have saved her son, she was told that the quicker a patient receives treatment, the better their chance of survival would be. These words stayed with Ann and soon


after she launched the ‘Ceri Thomas Appeal’ to raise funds for an Air Ambulance in Devon. It would be another six years of campaigning, copious letter writing and public fundraising until Ann’s ambition was


finally achieved. On 27 August 1992, Devon’s Air


Ambulance flew its first mission. The service was launched - initially flying five days a week. Many missions later in 2005, a cycling


accident left 17-year-old, Tom Staniford, with similar injuries to those suffered by Ceri Thomas. Tom was airlifted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Despite suffering a cardiac arrest twice in the aircraft, Tom went on to make a full recovery. In 2014 the charity became completely independent after being awarded its own Air Operating Certificate (AOC) by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This meant that the charity was now


operating as an airline under the strict governance of the CAA. Although many people feel the charity should be Government funded, the charity’s independence brings many benefits. Importantly, it allows its own highly-


skilled clinical staff to enhance the service’s capabilities.


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