We’re proud to be supporting Emergency Services Day (also known as 999 Day), which is a national event celebrated across the UK, to support the heroic men and women of the NHS and emergency services. 999 Day supports the work of the emergency services, promotes using the emergency services responsibly, educates the public about basic life-saving skills, and raises awareness of the many career and volunteering opportunities available.
Almost two million people work and volunteer in the emergency services today, including 250,000 first responders. Air Ambulance charities like ours form a vital part of the UK’s emergency services. At 9am colleagues from across Team KSS joined in with a national moment of silence to remember all those who have lost their lives serving our nation.
We also welcomed Mr Michael More-Molyneux, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey to our Redhill base today to mark 999 Day. The Lord-Lieutenant met with our CEO David Welch, along with doctors and paramedics from our Service Delivery Team, before having a tour.
Mr Michael More-Molyneux, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey said: “I was privileged, together with my wife, to visit the Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex on the occasion of 999 Day. I was so pleased to meet their highly trained team who do so much to treat serious injuries in the air, and as a result, save countless lives. We are so fortunate to have their services covering our county. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to thank them for their service, commitment and skill.”
David Welch, our CEO said: “It was a pleasure to welcome The Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey to our base today and I thank Michael for his ongoing support of our charity. The past 18 months have been immensely challenging for us and our emergency services colleagues as we have all strived to continue providing the very best care for our patients and to keep our communities across Kent, Surrey and Sussex safe. It is important that we mark 999 Day and pause to remember all those who have lost their lives in service to our nation. My thoughts are with them today, along with their families and loved ones and those who continue to work so incredibly hard and do all they can to help those in need.”
999 Day is taking place across the UK and falls within Air Ambulance Week which highlights how Air Ambulance charities such as ours deliver advanced critical pre-hospital care directly to patients experiencing a life-threatening injury or medical emergency, essentially bringing the A&E department to the patient when every second counts towards survival. We deliver life-saving pre-hospital care to our patients directly at the scene. Last year alone, we were called out to help over 2,500 people in life-threatening situations.
We are reliant on public generosity to deliver our service 24/7, ensuring we can be there for the most critically ill patients in our region. It costs £15M each year to operate the Air Ambulance service for Kent, Surrey and East and West Sussex, and 88% of this comes from public donations and fundraising. Find about more about how you can support our life-saving service here.
The Lord-Lieutenant met with our CEO David Welch, along with doctors and paramedics from our Service Delivery Team
