Great North Air Ambulance
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Update Template:Infobox organization The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a registered charity and air ambulance based in the United Kingdom. It operates a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the North of England with three aircraft. It serves North Yorkshire, the North-East, Cumbria, the Scottish borders and the Isle of Man.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Current operations
GNAAS operates three Dauphin helicopters from its two bases at Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria, and Urlay Nook, near Eaglescliffe in County Durham.<ref name = bases >Template:Cite web</ref> Between July and December 2021, the service had an average of 85 helicopter call-outs per month.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In hours of darkness, when the helicopters do not fly, North East Ambulance Service funds a Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which is staffed by a doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The MERIT service extended in November 2018 to cover Thursday to Sunday nights, which were previously covered on an on-call basis.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The service uses Volvo XC90 vehicles.<ref name = 2019accts/>
In 2014Template:Ndash2015, GNAAS had operating costs of £4.6Template:Nbspmillion and an income of £6.2Template:Nbspmillion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023Template:Ndash2024, the operating costs were £7.3Template:Nbspmillion against an income of £9.8Template:Nbspmillion, which included a total of £370,000 from government contracts and grants.<ref name = ccoverview >Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2020, GNAAS began trials in using jet suits to get from landed helicopters on call-outs to casualties in locations difficult to access.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The simulation exercise showed a casualty, whose position it would take 25Template:Nbspminutes to reach on foot, could be reached in a jet suit in 90Template:Nbspseconds.
| Registration | Model | Year built | Year entered service | Nickname | Base location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-NHAE<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | AS-365N-3 Dauphin 2 | 2007 | 2021 | Pride of Cumbria II | Langwathby |
| G-NHAD<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | AS-365N-3+ Dauphin | 2015 | 2020 | Guardian of the North II | Urlay Nook |
| G-NHAC<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | AS-365N-2 Dauphin 2 | 1996 | 2010 | None | Urlay Nook |
History
The air ambulance service began in 1994 with the leased Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopter G-NAAS.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> MBB Bo 105 helicopters were operated from 2003, and an MD 902 from 2006. 2006 also saw the introduction of the first Dauphin helicopter, G-HEMS. In 2010, the charity consolidated around a fleet of three Dauphin N2 helicopters, which were the first aircraft it owned. This ended the practice of leasing aircraft, which created financial issues. Two of these three Dauphin N2 helicopters were later replaced by newer Dauphin N3 helicopters G-NHAD and G-NHAE between 2019 and 2020. This was done to mitigate the risk involved with flying older aircraft.<ref name = 2019accts>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the media
From 8 March 2018, the charity appeared on Channel 4's TV programme Emergency Helicopter Medics, which followed the crews responding and treating emergency patients.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Other air ambulances that featured in the show include Thames Valley Air Ambulance and East Anglian Air Ambulance.