09/09/2026
Not only Air Ambulance week, but today is also national emergency services day.
Earlier this year I had a couple of early mornings to join the crews of helmed 06 and 09 and shadow them.as they got ready for their day on shift.
As all shifts, it starts with ensuring their bags have the correct contents - medication, dressings and equipment. The ents of the Heli being checked (pic 3 & 4).
First up is checking all the kit on board ( pic 1 & 2)
All the bags are checked on both the Heli and the car - any time sensitive medical stuff is changed and logged - including blood (pics 3&4)
The helicopter is then taken from the hanger and positioned on the helipad (pic 5)
Morning briefing - the pilot goes over weather forecast, NOTAMs and any other issues that may impact the operation of the helicopter (pic 6 &7)
Once the briefing is done, it's the pilots responsibility to check the fuel, not just that theirs enough, but also to take a sample and check for contamination (pic 8)
Finally, the pilot completes and engine run and a wash through of both engines, making sure the helicopter is always in optimal condition for any missions they're called to (pic 9-12)