A brand-new emergency response car has been added to our fleet of vehicles, thanks to an enormous donation from the HELP Appeal.

The Volvo XC90, specially fitted with blue lights and advanced life-saving equipment, was purchased thanks to a £38,265 donation from the HELP Appeal, the UK’s only charity dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads, including those at University Hospital Southampton and St. Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight.

Packed with the same medical kit as our helicopter, from blood products and defibrillators to life support machines and advanced patient monitoring systems, the vehicle ensures patients receive the same critical care whether the crew arrives by air or land.

Our crews deploy by car when poor weather prevents us from flying or to support large-scale incidents with extra resources.

L-R: Chris Tate (HEMS Support Manager), Simon Jones (Aviation Helipad Advisor), Pat Andrews (Specialist Critical Care Paramedic).

The car’s arrival comes at a significant time in our operations: In 2024, and for the first time in our history, missions by road outnumbered the helicopter.

Of the 2,544 incidents we responded to, 1,346 (53%) were responded to by car.

Since adding the first emergency vehicle in 2017, we have now responded to more than 7,500 incidents by road.

Responding by road

One of those 2,544 emergency calls for help was to 61-year-old Julian Pierce.

Working in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton, Julian was found slumped at his desk by one of his colleagues. He was in cardiac arrest.

While Julian’s colleagues performed CPR, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance team were deployed by car. They were by his side just 12 minutes later – where they performed a pre-hospital emergency anaesthetic: a procedure that can only be delivered by the helicopter emergency medical services team.

Using anaesthetic drugs and ventilation equipment, they placed a breathing tube into Julian’s your airway to help protect his vital organs from further potential injury.

Julian said: “I wasn’t aware of what they could do. I just presumed they would resuscitate and shock me, get me breathing and bundle me into an ambulance to go to hospital.

“But the fact they intubated and ventilated me in the foyer of my workplace is frankly unbelievable – it won’t be unbelievable to them but to me… I am just astonished.

“I feel like I’ve got another chance at life – and I feel that I need to grab that chance with both hands.”

Julian’s story

The HELP Appeal has been instrumental in the evolution of our service, also donating £300,000 last year to help launch our £3.6 million Operation Airbase appeal, which aims to relocate the charity’s Airbase to a more central location.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:

“By funding both critical care cars and hospital helipads, we’re proud to support air ambulances in every way from helping their helicopters land safely beside hospital Emergency Departments to ensuring their teams can reach critically ill patients quickly by road when flying isn’t an option.”

Richard Corbett, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance CEO, said:

“2024 was the first year we responded to more emergencies by road than by air – illustrating the importance of these cars. We are incredibly grateful to the HELP Appeal and its supporters for their generosity, which will undoubtedly change and save lives in our region for many years to come.”