Sky Heroes Celebrate 11 Years of Life-Saving Air Ambulance Missions
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is marking 11 years of incredible service today, Sunday 1st July. Since taking off in 2007, this charity has been scrambled to over 7,906 emergency incidents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Its Critical Care Team vehicle, launched in 2017, has also answered more than 858 urgent call outs.
Helicopter in Action at St Mary’s Summer Fete
To celebrate, the air ambulance will be active all day from the helipad at St Mary’s Hospital. Visitors to the hospital’s Summer Fete (11am–3pm) can catch a close-up look at the chopper in action. It’s a rare chance to see these life-saving missions live and appreciate the speed and precision behind each operation.
Cutting-Edge Care Both in the Air and on the Ground
HIOWAA hasn’t just hovered through time—it’s evolved. Every paramedic is now a Specialist Paramedic, studying for a Postgraduate Diploma at the University of Southampton. HIOWAA is also one of the nation’s top Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) training centres, sending senior doctors into the sky to join specialist critical care teams.
This deadly combo of highly trained paramedics and PHEM doctors means procedures usually reserved for hospital emergency departments can now happen straight at the scene. The air ambulance is stocked with blood, fresh plasma, and the latest tech, including a cutting-edge Video Laryngoscope—vital for tricky airway emergencies before patients even reach hospital.
Chief Exec Proud of Progress and Purpose
Alex Lochrane, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, said: “HIOWAA’s vision is to always provide exceptional critical care to the sick and injured in their hour of need, both in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.
We have come a long way in the past eleven years and we continue to strive to be the best at what we do. Sunday 1st July is a significant milestone for HIOWAA and as our service evolves in the future, the needs of our patients will always be kept at the heart of all we do.”
