Over 500 incidents for helicopter crew in first half of 2021

Cornwall Air Ambulance has been tasked to over 500 incidents in the first six months of the year.

The charity is preparing for a peak in missions over the summer period as more people take staycations in the county and social distancing measures are set to come to an end. The crew respond to an average of 3 incidents a day over the course of a year, but this can increase to over 10 during the busy summer season.

In the period from 1 January until 30 June, critical care paramedics were tasked to 280 trauma incidents, which included 85 road traffic collisions, 85 falls and 14 equestrian- related emergencies.

Crews responded to 232 medical incidents, including 135 cardiac-related emergencies.

Steve Murdoch, Interim Chief Executive for Cornwall Air Ambulance, said: “It looks like Cornwall will be exceptionally busy this summer, with more people than ever taking holidays at home. More visitors mean more traffic on the roads, more people on the beaches and exploring the coastline – which all increases the risk of incidents and the need for the helicopter service.

“This is the first summer we have been able to respond 19 hours a day on the helicopter, which is now a necessity to meet the ever-increasing demand for critical care by air.”

Cornwall Air Ambulance has continued to operate throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring the critical care team can respond to emergencies in someone’s moment of need.

Mission numbers by month:

January – 72

February – 57

March – 86

April – 94

May – 94

June – 109