The Service

The yellow and redliveried EC135 helicopter is based at RAF Benson, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire. It carries a full range of life saving and medical equipment and two fully qualified Paramedics. There is also a seat available for an escort or parent to travel with a child.

It can transport one patient with the ability to treat and care in the air.

The helicopter is operated in daylight hours and is on call seven days a week.

The value of the Air Ambulance is in being able to bring the benefits of rapid Paramedic intervention to a medical situation in order to give primary care and then airlift patients, if required, to the most appropriate hospital.

Our Patch – where we operate

TVAC operates across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire but there are no boundaries in the sky and we are frequently called on to attend emergencies in neighbouring counties when required.

The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour is a term often used in emergency medicine to denote that vital period immediately after the onset of acute illness or an accident.

Patient survival rates are greatest if treatment is provided within the Golden Hour and an air ambulance can provide the speed that can make all the difference.

• Speed – we can fly over traffic jams and road congestion
• Access – we can get to remote locations with difficult access – eg farms, golf courses
• Distance – we get farther and faster than land ambulances
• A&E – we can get patients to the most appropriate Accident & Emergency or specialist treatment department and not necessarily the nearest.