The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance have once again taken to the skies!
The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance have once again taken to the skies!
The charity’s two helicopters were grounded last Friday following reports of ash from the Icelandic volcano in the air and on the ground in Southern England. An up-date at 10.30am this morning (Monday 19 April) from the Air Ambulance’s helicopter provider has cleared both aircraft for flying but only to emergency calls.
When the decision to suspend Air Ambulance flights was taken, the specialist doctors and paramedic team immediately transferred to response cars. They have since responded to a total of thirteen emergency medical calls before the decision to resume flights.
John Tickner, Chief Executive of the Air Ambulance said ‘This situation is almost unprecedented and the decision to take the helicopter offline was a very difficult one. It is vital that we do not put either our crews or patients at risk, if there is one. However we have to weigh this up against not providing such a critical service.
Fortunately, the decisions are ultimately made for us by experts, whose knowledge is far greater than our own. They have assured us that it is now safe to fly and we will continue to review developments.’
