When dealing with the most serious major traumas in Yorkshire, time is of the essence and it is paramount that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team can reach their patients in the quickest way possible.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is delighted to announce that they have introduced two custom-built Skoda Kodiaq Rapid Response Vehicles to their fleet of life-saving vehicles which will enable the Charity to extend its operations during adverse weather conditions, when their aircraft are offline for routine servicing and when, in some circumstances, it is quicker to get to the patient by road than by air.

The two new vehicles were custom-built to meet the needs of the air ambulance service and they are fully capable of carrying the same life-saving equipment found in both our helicopters, enabling the Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew to bring the same expert care to the scene of an incident as they do with their aircraft.

One of the vehicles will be based at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Nostell airbase and the other at their North Yorkshire Topcliffe airbase, allowing the Charity to service the entirety of Yorkshire when patients require the specialist skills of their Critical Care Team.

Peter Sunderland, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Chairman, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome two new rapid response cars to our fleet of life-saving vehicles. These cars will make a huge difference to our operations in adverse weather conditions and in places unreachable by aircraft, enabling us to provide swift medical interventions that could have a major impact on a patient’s chance of survival and subsequent quality of life.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Mark Benevolent Fund, Henry Surtees Foundation, Morrisons Foundation and the Tesco Bags of Help scheme in York, who have kindly sponsored the vehicles.”

Matt Syrat, YAA Clinical Operations Manager, said: “The capabilities of our new rapid response vehicles will allow us to be able to get to patients during periods of aircraft downtime or extreme weather which render flying impossible, ensuring we can deliver prehospital care in the right place and at the right time.”

Darren Coleman-Heald, Charities Manager at the Mark Benevolent Fund, said: “The Mark Benevolent Fund is delighted to have joined forces once again with our partners at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. This all-important project and the vehicle provided reach deep into the heart of your community and will be a certain lifeline to many. The Mark Benevolent Fund is the official charity of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, the third largest branch of Freemasonry. Our 35,000 members will be pleased to know that their donations are being used wisely, helping those in need and saving lives right across Yorkshire.”

Nick Smith, Executive Director of Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “The long-standing partnership we have with YAA is a great asset for the Yorkshire region and the addition of these two rapid response vehicles at YAA will extend the reach of the Critical Care Team to treat more patients who are in a serious or life-threatening condition.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.