The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is celebrating 19 years of life-saving service after marking the anniversary of its very first emergency flight.
On 1 July 2007, the charity responded to its first call-out by air as a paramedic-led service, operating for eight hours a day, five days a week. Nineteen years later, thanks to the continued support of the public, it has grown into a highly advanced emergency service that now responds to patients across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight seven days a week.
Since launching, the charity has attended more than 23,000 emergency incidents, providing critical care to people suffering serious illness and injury when every second counts.
Over the past 19 years, the service has undergone significant development. Today, its helicopter is staffed by specialist doctors and advanced paramedics, carries emergency blood on every mission and operates into the evening, extending its availability to 19 hours a day.
The charity has also expanded beyond its airborne operations, introducing a fleet of Emergency Response Vehicles to complement the helicopter, establishing a dedicated Aftercare team to support patients and their families, and launching a Research and Development team to help improve pre-hospital emergency medicine.
One of the organisation’s biggest milestones came with the move to its purpose-built airbase, providing a permanent home designed to enhance operations and enable crews to respond even more effectively to emergencies across the region.
Reflecting on the anniversary, the charity thanked its supporters for making every achievement possible.
It said that every emergency call-out, every innovation and every milestone had only been possible because of the generosity of the communities it serves.
The charity said supporters had been behind every flight over the past 19 years, helping save lives and giving patients the opportunity to return home to their loved ones, even when the odds were stacked against them.
As it celebrates its 19th birthday, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance says it remains committed to continuing its life-saving work and ensuring that expert critical care reaches those who need it most, whenever and wherever an emergency happens.