The Northern Ireland Air Ambulance has been tasked to the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Area 238 times since it began operating five years ago.

New stats were released to mark Air Ambulance Week 2022 (September 5 – 11) to raise awareness of the lifesaving work of air ambulance charities, including Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.

This year, the charity is highlighting what a typical week looks like for the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) across Northern Ireland (NI), which is provided in full partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

The range of incidents varies from day to day, as Operational Lead for the HEMS, Glenn O’Rorke, explains: “We make around 14 missions a week, forming an important part of the emergency services right across NI.

"Each patient and situation we go to is unique and the patients we care for are at the centre of everything we do.

 “An average week would include at least three serious road traffic collisions, three medical emergencies, three falls, one farm accident, one industrial accident, one serious sport-related accident, one assault and one other accident, which could be deliberate self-harm, serious burns or drowning, to name but a few.

“We feel privileged to help at the scene of an incident, giving patients critical care that may make a lifesaving difference.”

Air ambulance crews bring the skills and expertise of a hospital to the scene of an emergency, performing complex procedures using advanced equipment and drugs that improve survival rates.

Up to this July, the HEMS has been needed in Northern Ireland on 414 occasions in 2022 alone. In its five years of operation, the air ambulance has been tasked on 3,093 occasions, and 238 of those have been to the Fermanagh and Omagh council area. 

In NI, the medical team is provided by NIAS with the charity funding the helicopter, fuel and airbase. Each mission requires fundraising of around £2,750 so with 14 call-outs per week, public support is crucial.

AANI is calling on people all across NI to play their part by ‘becoming a member this September’ of the charity’s membership club, Club AANI. 

Kerry Anderson, from the charity, said: “By becoming a member this September you will join a club of almost 1,500 members, all from various walks of life and backgrounds, but all of whom are passionate about sustaining air ambulance [lifesaving services]."

If you’d like to become a Club AANI member, join at www.airambulanceni.org, or call the charity at 028 9262 2677.