Missions and Major Incidents
During 2009 London's Air Ambulance undertook a total of 1,741 missions, down slightly from 1,771 in 2008. The crews attended the following emergency incidents:
- 672 road traffic collisions
- 377 falls from height
- 349 stabbings
- 69 shootings
The Air Ambulance team have been involved in many major incidents over the past few years, including the train crashes at Cannon Street, Southall and Paddington; and the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks, when the HEMS team carried out 26 missions using the helicopter and constant deployment of rapid response cars to deliver medical care and supplies to the scenes of the bombings. This was only possible because a meeting, attended by many current and former HEMS staff, was coincidentally scheduled for the same day. 208 people were treated at the Royal London Hospital on that day. HEMS holds a contract with the London Ambulance Service obliging them to provide medical oversight at declared major incidents.
Read more about this topic: London Air Ambulance
Famous quotes containing the words missions and, missions, major and/or incidents:
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.... Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
—Joseph Heller (b. 1923)
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.... Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
—Joseph Heller (b. 1923)
“Staff has a genius for sitting on its brains and coming up with perfect hindsight.”
—Leo V. Gordon, U.S. screenwriter, and Arthur Hiller. Major Craig (Rock Hudson)
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)