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Volunteers Get 'Blue light' to Crew Civilian Ambulances

Royal Air Force stations are helping the NHS fight Coronavirus in their region by manning civilian ambulances.

Teams at RAF Henlow, RAF Honington and RAF Marham have each taken delivery of emergency vehicles to aid the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) with the surge in virus-related calls.

The five two-man vehicles, and two rapid response cars, are crewed by co-responders, volunteers from various trades across the force who have trained in life-saving techniques and attend emergencies outside of their RAF duties.

With some intensive clinical up-skilling from the EEAST the teams are on duty, responding to emergency calls in Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. Some of the co-responders have amassed thousands of hours of volunteering and responding to 999 calls for the NHS.

RAF Marham Station Commander, Group Captain James Beck, said:

“I am very proud of what the team have done to support the NHS and how valuable our volunteers are to our local community.”

The training package provided to the RAF personnel included virus-specific training, including use of PPE, hospital handover procedures and emergency transfer practice. 

RAF Honington Station Commander, Group Captain Matt Radnall, said:

“I’m delighted our personnel are able to provide direct support to the NHS ambulance service in our region. They are well trained and very much looking forward to playing their part in this incredibly important role.”

RAF Henlow Station Commander, Wing Commander Rachel Mawdsley, said:

“It is vitally important that we are able to support the NHS and the East of England Ambulance Service Trust. Our team is made up of trained military personnel from RAF Henlow, as well as from JITG Chicksands, RAF Wyton, MBDA Stevenage and RAF Halton and is operating right across Bedfordshire.”

RAF Henlow Station Commander
Wing Commander Rachel Mawdsley

EEAST Community Response Manager Alex Laurent said:

“The RAF co-responders are a vital asset to us. The support they bring to the communities is outstanding during this challenging time.”