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Opposed to changes
If, as suggested in last week's Gazette and Herald, the partnership between Wiltshire Police and the Great Western Ambulance Service does come to an end, it will be a sad day indeed for the county and the ambulance service will have a great deal to answer for.
The Wiltshire Air Support Unit, formed some 20 years ago on the initiative of Walter Girvin, the Chief Constable, and Peter Mann, the Chief Ambulance Officer, has proved an outstanding success, a model of two emergency services working together for the good of the community, a service of which we all should be extremely proud.
The alternative arrangement of two or three dedicated helicopter ambulances based at Filton covering Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucester many have advantages for the other two counties, but in my view is
totally unacceptable for the people of Wiltshire.
The advantages of the present system are:
n The helicopter based at Devizes can reach all parts of the county in just eight minutes.
n The police helicopter is fully equipped for night flying.
n Sharing operations with the police is very cost effective.
The disadvantages of the proposed system would be:
Helicopters based at Filton will have a considerably longer
reaction time than one based in Devizes.
The helicopters proposed will not have night flying capacity.
The cost of standalone helicopters would be three times as much.
As a past vice-chairman of the Wiltshire Ambulance Service and co-founder of the Air Ambulance Appeal, I believe that everyone in Wiltshire should use every opportunity to bring to the attention of the Great Western Ambulance Board our opposition to any changes to the present Wiltshire Air Ambulance Service.
Air Vice-Marshal (Dr) R A Riseley-Prichard,
Allington,
Near Devizes
3:12pm Thursday 8th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: mav, devizes on 3:45pm Thu 15 May 08
This money belongs to the public of Wiltshire. Who do the bosses of the Great Western Ambulance Service think they are. They have ousted the two members of the public on the board and have taken it upon themselves to make all the decisions. They have shown they cant even run the ambulance service. Write in to them and complain. Mr Lynch, Karl Henderson and Alan Veasey of the great western ambulance service seem to be the ones making the decisions. Official letters of complaint to Jenner House, Malmesbury Road, Chippenham, against these three will go a long way. They seem to be acting in a totally dishonest way. Lets get the appeal back into public hands where it belongs.
This money belongs to the public of Wiltshire. Who do the bosses of the Great Western Ambulance Service think they are. They have ousted the two members of the public on the board and have taken it upon themselves to make all the decisions. They have shown they cant even run the ambulance service. Write in to them and complain. Mr Lynch, Karl Henderson and Alan Veasey of the great western ambulance service seem to be the ones making the decisions. Official letters of complaint to Jenner House, Malmesbury Road, Chippenham, against these three will go a long way. They seem to be acting in a totally dishonest way. Lets get the appeal back into public hands where it belongs.
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