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ver the past two and a half years, Paul Mullins has saved countless lives. As an Air Ambulance paramedic, he attends serious accidents and emergencies every day of the week. Paul says: “With this job, every day really is different. We attend such a variety of incidents that it’s impossible to predict where the next 999 call will take us.

“At the start of the day the crew participate in a brieng to discuss the day ahead; what the weather forecast is, how much fuel we are carrying etc. As part of the training process to become Air Ambulance paramedics we learn about the aviation aspects of the role as well as key skills to assist the pilot, such as navigation. “We never know when the rst call of the day will come. On average we attend three rescue missions a day, but this can vary, and in the summer months in particular we can nd ourselves doing ve or six jobs in a day. WNAA will typically y with one paramedic, one doctor, and one pilot. Road trafc collisions are the

most common incident, making up approximately 40% of rescue missions, with cardiac incidents and horse riding accidents each accounting for approximately 10%. Paul continues: “We work as a crew to identify a suitable landing place. If it’s a road trafc collision, we sometimes have to work with the Police so we can land on the road. If it’s somewhere tricky to land, like in the heights of the Peak District, then I may jump out of the helicopter with the equipment while the helicopter is hovering, the pilot will then go and locate it nearby. “The rst thing we have to do is assess the scene to check it’s safe. If other people such as land ambulance crew are already on scene we will obtain a brief situation report to gain a rapid overview of the incident.” Air Ambulance doctors and paramedics are trained in pre-hospital emergency care and have advanced clinical skills, so they will begin treating the patient on the scene – in essence bringing the hospital to the patient. “We then y the patient to the best hospital for their injuries – usually a

major trauma centre. It may not always be the closest hospital, but the speed of the helicopter means we can take the patient to the place that they will receive the specialist treatment needed to give them the best chances of survival and recovery. “It can be incredibly hard work, we’re working in a high pressured environment and of course we see some terrible accidents, but it’s the best job in the world. One of the best parts of the job is meeting our former patients, to see them walking and talking with their family and friends, and to know that it is in part down to your help is amazing and makes it all worthwhile.”

WNAA is one of the only Air Ambulances in the country that directly employs its paramedics, rather than employing them through the NHS. As a charity that receives no government or National Lottery funding, they rely entirely on donations. To donate to WNAA, or to nd out more, please visit www. theairambulanceservice.org.uk/ paramedicpaul

Airwave supports three charities – Embrace CVOC, The Fire Fighters Charity, and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA). The WNAA sent this article in to Reach, to illustrate the work of an Air Ambulance paramedic, and to give some insight into how the money raised is used.