Anybody interested.......?
Posted: Thursday, 27 January 2005 |
Comments
Hi Scottish Soldier. Very few people will know what provision used to exist for air ambulances and what changes have been proposed or made to that service. If you say that we now have an air ambulance service which operates aircraft that CANNOT land on Mull I think its probably news for most people. It’s the lack of knowledge on the subject that may mean people don’t participate rather than disinterest. You say, "I read that the Air Ambulance Contract had been given to a Company daan'sarf" Perhaps you could put up a link to the article you were reading or copy extracts from that document. I am sure people are interested. Thanks.
pondhead from Mull
Hi Mr P. Ehm, I'm not very good with the pasting/copy stuff but at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4207381.stm
you will find an article abuot the changes afoot. The Herald and Scotsman also ran some info. I don't know if anyone on Mull was contacted during the cosultation period so where the S.A.S* got their info I don't know. Their own web site gives details of the existing arrangements. Sorry if this is a bit hick-hack but I hope you can glean a bit of what is involved.
Yours Aye....
A Scottish Soldier from Mull
DUH!! I meant to add *S.A.S= Scottish Ambulance Service. And that we are going from 2 Helicopters+ 4 Fixed Wing to 2 of each. The Fixed wing are too heavy or big to land on Mull so I ahve been reliably informed.
A Scottish Soldier from Mull
I don't know who (if anyone) was consulted about this move but personally - owing a lot to the air ambulance service - it worries me greatly.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that we should be dispensing with the existing NHS area health boards/equivalents and ensuring that the island are more linked in with the Highlands and Islands area where the Strathclyde part of Argyll & Bute seems to play such a heavy influence. This influence seems to affect everything from health to Council Tax to planning and wind farms, as well as essential services. We also seem to have a local paper (Oban Times) that will publish some views kicking the status quo providing it comes from Lochaber (Highland), but largely not if of Argyll origination. Of course, this is because of political, not geographical boundaries, delineations nor affiliations, just purely arbitrary political boundaries. This situation seems destined to deteriorate further with the proposed new ward boundaries required under the Boundary Commission. In short, it's politics not people who count and when the politicians ignore the people and leave them with less and less say.
Sunset from Mull
Hi S.S. Perhaps there is a plane buffs out there who know if a Beech King Air 200C can operate comfortably on a 792m grass runway such as we have at Glenforsa on Mull? I presume the EC 135 Eurocopter will work ok but they look a little cramped judging by the picture (joke): http://www.mullhelis.freeserve.co.uk/ec135.jpg
Perhaps because of the reduced number of aircraft in the service it could impact on availability. I presume that may mean the volunteer lifeboat crew will end up doing more trips.
pondhead from Mull
The consultation document and a questionaire type reply (about 5 pages) was sent to all the Community Councils. We certainly got one here on Luing, I think in November or December last year! Possibly look to your community council as to WHO was consulted???
fifiluing from Isle of Luing
I've contacted the company involved (Gama Aviation) who promised to get back in touch...........(picture dry arid townscape, wind, blowing sand and tumble-weed). As for the EC135 it is an excellent Medi-vac chopper, I've had the pleasure(!) of working often with them, or type, in the past. As for the comm-council anybody any ideas what was asked?
Scottish Soldier. from Mull
The report of the Air Ambulance Consultation process pdf does not reveal much. To be quite honest I am not sure that members of our community council would reasonably expect to have to ask the question: can the plane land on our runway? If it is a fact that the new plane cannot land on Mull and this was not stated in the description of the proposed changes to the service then one might question how meaningful the consultation process was.
Good luck with Gama Aviation - it will be interesting to hear what they say. If the plane cannot operate on the grass air field and we have to rely on the helicopter, how serious a change to the provision of air ambulances is this Scottish Soldier?
http://www.scottishambulance.com/docs/Air%20Ambulance%20Consultation%20update.pdf
pondhead from Mull
Not entirely clear to which version of the Beech King Air is to be used. The published landing distance for one version of the 200 is 632m (from 15m alt). I dont know if this would be enough of a margin in still air on a hot day. Some versions have a published landing distance greater than your 792m.
jimf from invss
Moans and groans involving health and what passes for roads on Mull. Oh, and the odd pot-shot at "visiting" drivers.
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