Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is blazing a trail for the environment

16th April 2020

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is blazing a trail for the environment

On the eve of Earth Day 2021 (22nd April) Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is excited to announce the steps taken to date and further plans to reduce its impact on the environment.

In what EHAAT believes is a first for a UK air ambulance charity, it has carried out a thorough review of its carbon footprint and sustainability, and is now looking at how it can achieve a net zero impact.

The first stage of this process was to engage a carbon consultant and work with them to calculate the charity’s carbon footprint for the year 2019-20. This involved capturing the data on the fuel used under Scope 1 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (fuel used in aircraft, vehicles, heating buildings etc) and Scope 2 (Fuel used indirectly as a result of the charity’s activities, such as in the production of purchased electricity).

James McInroy, EHAAT’s Head of Workplace and Infrastructure, said: “EHAAT is committed to making the very best choices for the environment, our people and the community. We have reviewed all areas of the charity and calculated our Carbon GHG (Green House Gas) footprint. With long term sustainability and carbon impact forming our decisions across all areas of the charity, our objective is to reduce our carbon footprint and achieve a net zero impact”.

One of the first beneficiaries of this trailblazing work is EHAAT’s new airbase at North Weald, which will become operational this summer. The building was designed with environmental considerations as a priority.

These include:

• The building has been designed to current BREEAM ratings and has achieved an energy performance certificate (EPC) grading of A, the highest possible.

• Photovoltaic panels on the roof means that the building generates more electricity than it uses. The excess is sold to the national grid.

• Electric vehicle charging points enable users of electric vehicles to charge them.

• Motion sensor lighting inside the building means lights are only active when areas are occupied, reducing electricity consumption.

• Additional steps such as improved waste segregation and recycling and Eco boilers are also being installed at the charity’s airbase and its headquarters in Earls Colne, as well as its charity shops across Essex and Hertfordshire.

Over the coming year EHAAT will take steps to further improve sustainability and the organisation’s carbon footprint.

-ENDS-

Photographs:

1. Aerial image of EHAAT’s new North Weald Airbase showing the photovoltaic panels on the roof which mean the building generates more electricity than it uses.

2. One of the electric vehicle charging points at the new base.

For more information contact Gavin Sherriff, PR Officer, on 0345 2417 690 or 07870 158 309

Notes to Editor:

• Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is a Charity that provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.

• The service is provided free of charge but, unlike NHS emergency services, the Charity receives limited direct funding from the Government and none from the National Lottery. It costs in excess of £750,000 every month to keep the service operational and cover all charitable costs, and this would not be possible without the generosity and goodwill of people and businesses of Essex, Hertfordshire and beyond.

• Each of the Charity’s HEMS teams consist of two Pilots, a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic.

• These teams, made up of highly-skilled individuals, attended 1,626 patients in 2020 and are the backbone of your local life-saving Charity.

• The fleet consists of two Air Ambulances, and four rapid response vehicles (RRVs - cars) The RRVs are crewed by a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic and carry the same life-saving equipment as the helicopters.

• During the day, from 7am until 8.00pm, the Critical Care Team provides the service using helicopters based at Earls Colne and North Weald. An RRV is used before sunrise, after sunset or when the helicopter is unable to fly because of poor weather or maintenance.

• Overnight from 7.30pm to 7.30am the service is provided using an RRV based at North Weald.