Devon Air Ambulance add third critical care car to their fleet

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and organisations across the country have been united in the fight to defeat the invisible enemy. Cross collaboration is better than ever as companies work together to support each other's determination to succeed.

We have been humbled by the generosity and support of companies and fellow air ambulances not only in Devon but as far as Tamworth in Staffordshire and Kent, Surrey & Sussex who have shown us tremendous generosity. 

One of those companies got in touch just a few weeks ago. That was Kastners, our local Volvo dealer based here in Exeter. Knowing that our helicopters were grounded and that we were responding to emergencies using our Critical Care Cars, they offered to lend us an additional Volvo for our fleet. Not only does this enable us to attend more life-saving missions if necessary but also means that we can call upon an additional vehicle which may be closer to the incident. It will also carry the same equipment on board as our existing vehicles, enabling our paramedics to give the vital treatment to the patient at the scene. 

A spokesperson for Kastners said, “It's with great pleasure that we are able to support Devon Air Ambulance by loaning one of our XC60 models to support their Paramedics in the community. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the valuable emergency service you guys provide”.

How will you recognise the new Critical Care car? The third car will have blue light rapid response capability and will carry the same red, blue & bright yellow colours that you have come to recognise on our existing vehicles.  Thanks to Kep Print Group, who are based in Tamworth in Staffordshire, we have had Magnetic Door and Bonnet signage made to match our other vehicles free of charge, so you will have no trouble realising it’s us!

Mark Plowman, Kep Print Group Managing Director comments, “We at KEP Print Group are proud to support the Devon Air Ambulance. This may be a small donation in the grand scheme of things, but we know it will help the air ambulance team make an even greater impact in the community. We are grateful for the opportunity to do our part during this current crisis.

As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, KEP have been looking for ways to support our healthcare workers, the NHS, and other care bodies. We’ve been grateful that organisations like the Devon Air Ambulance Trust have reached out. To us, it’s important to recognise all the staff that are helping protect and serve us - from the air ambulances to the hospital cleaners. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all that you do.

I hope that this small donation can inspire others to give where they can and how they can. This is a challenging time for all of us, and so if you have the time or the means, please reach out to support one another. We’re all in this together.”

This week our two existing Critical Care cars reached 75 missions since they were introduced in February this year, you can track them on our mission map on our website and see exactly where our Critical Care paramedics have been called out to save lives across the county.