Midlands charity has a 'loyal and committed supporter base'
Road accidents and medical emergencies are the main reasons why air ambulances are called out to Shropshire.
It is one of six counties the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity covers, operating three air ambulances which are strategically located so that 90 per cent of the region is within reach within eight minutes.
Each carry a crew comprising a pilot, two paramedics or flight doctors plus full life-support medical equipment.
If a patient reaches hospital within the 'golden hour' – 60 minutes after their injury – their chances of survival are dramatically increased.
It is one of the reasons why the charity is so vital, especially in the more rural parts of the county where normal ambulances could take much longer to reach patients.
On receiving an emergency call, one of the medical aircrew will take notes on the nature of the incident and the co-ordinates for the location.
The crew can be airborne in just two minutes.
Once in the air it is the role of the medical crew aboard to assist the pilot with navigation, and on arrival at the scene, the pilot pinpoints the optimal landing site.
Within the last few weeks in Shropshire, a woman was airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital after the car she was travelling in collided with a tractor near to Wem.
Another woman involved in a crash on the A41 in Higher Heath, near Whitchurch, was also flown to the same hospital.
Hanna Sebright, chief executive of the charity, says National Air Ambulance Week (NAAW) is a fantastic opportunity for all member charities of the Association of Air Ambulances to come together and nationally promote the lifesaving work carried out every day of the year.
She said: "Through NAAW, we hope to raise awareness of the work that MAAC does, and its plans for the future to continue saving lives on a daily basis.
"MAAC has a loyal and committed supporter base, which has grown over the 27 years following the charity’s incorporation in 1991.
"We never take our donors, volunteers and partners for granted. As always we continue to strive to provide the best possible air ambulance service that we can across the six counties that we serve.
"This reflects in our continued hard work to drive fundraising income and achieve long term resilience.”
MAAC's chairman Roger Pemberton added: "The charity is a happy and satisfying place for all staff, volunteers and trustees, that alone is an important contributing factor towards its continuing success."
The charity's annual open day at the Strensham airbase in Worcestershire is also taking place on Sunday.
People are invited to go along to the free event and find out more about the charity by chatting to the aircrew and exploring one of the helicopters.
