Hampshire Life: February 2019 (^) 43
“We really do see ourselves
as just part of the wider team
that starts with the community
responder turning up and ends
up with Intensive Care Units
further down the line. The care
we deliver is cutting edge and
it’s great to be at the forefront
of pre-hospital care, but we
couldn’t do what we do without
the great paramedics and the
ambulance crews out there. The
road ambulance crews still do
the lion’s share of the work. We
just add some very specialised
care to the excellent care already
available.”
Behind these highly skilled
crews is another amazing team:
the fundraisers. One such is
Pete Burch. Pete’s life was saved
by the air ambulance service
when he was involved in a
motorbike accident in March
- He was just 27 when a
car pulled out in front of him,
leaving him partly paralysed.
He has, however, succeeded in
returning to work, this time as
part of the fundraising team
for the service that saved his
life. Pete is HIOWAA’s Trusts
and Foundations Fundraiser- managing a vital source of
income which makes a significant
difference to HIOWAA’s ability to
continue saving lives.
“I joined two years ago in June.
I was working with charities
fundraising before my motorcycle
accident. I spent most of 2015 in
hospital and my old boss, who is
now Chief Executive of HIOWAA,
said, ‘Pete, let’s get you down
here’. I started on two days a
week, then three, then four...
It is the best job I’ve ever had. It
was a fantastic experience to goout with the crew in the Volvo
and witness a day in the life of
the team (which included two
cardiac arrests and a horrific
head-on car accident where three
people died and another probably
lost his leg). It can be brutal, but
that is all in a day’s work. Our
crew are just normal people.”
It costs around £15,000 a
day to run this service which
is dependent on the generosity
of the community HIOWAA
serves. Pete continues: “This is
a massive undertaking and we
rely on the support of the public.
We have cheques presented from
lodges and rotary clubs who are
all very supportive, teams and
individuals undertake sponsored
challenges such as sky-diving
and abseiling; we attend events
and run a really successful
lottery programme.
“We have so much pride in the
Charity. We all work hard to keep
that helicopter in the air.”Volunteer: HIOWAA welcomes
all offers of help, and volunteers
are given full training and
supported by the Volunteer
Coordinator. Contact Kirsty at
[email protected] or on 02380
743510.Fundraise: HIOWAA’s website
(hiowaa.org) has masses of
information including the Flight
for Life Lottery and HIOWAA
Heroes Fundraising Pack with
tools, tips and advice such as
ideas, posters, sponsorship
forms and more.GET INVOLVED
AIR AMBULANCE
LEFT: The Critical
Care Teams
are made up of
Specialist Critical
Care Paramedics,
HEMS Doctors
and PilotsABOVE:
Hampshire and
Isle of Wight
Air Ambulance
made its first
operational flight
on 1 July 2007;
the helicopter is
based at Thruxton
near Andover
and the Charity’s
office is based in
SouthamptonABOVE RIGHT: It
costs £15,000 a
day to maintain
this life-saving
service which
depends on the
generosity of the
commnities it
serves‘The care we deliver is
cutting edge and it’s great
to be at the forefront
of pre-hospital care’