New air ambulance vehicles will 'help save lives'

The East Anglian Air Ambulance charity has bought two new Volvo XC90s

Two new rapid response vehicles (RRVs) bought by the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) will help save more lives, the charity has said.

EAAA has taken delivery of two £70,000 Volvo XC90s following a large fundraising appeal.

The vehicles, based in Norwich and Cambridge, will replace two existing Land Rovers, which the charity said they had "outgrown" due to carrying more equipment.

EAAA hoped the new RRVs would be fully operational within the next three weeks.

"With the [Land Rover] Discoveries, not only had we outgrown them, they are about seven years old now and not quite fit for purpose any more," said Richard Hindson, EAAA's director of operations and infrastructure.

EAAA says it hopes to replace its two current Volvo RRVs with electric vehicles in future

So far this year, the charity has been deployed 2,216 times, of which about 40% of call outs involved its fleet of four RRVs.

The vehicles are mostly used in urban areas, close to EAAA's bases in Norwich and Cambridge, where critical care teams can reach emergencies much quicker than the charity's two helicopters. They can also travel in all weather conditions.

A fundraising appeal for the two new RRVs began in the spring of 2022 and raised about £170,000.

The charity, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, originally hoped to have the vehicles fully operational earlier this year but the project faced delays due to supply issues.

"It's amazing how many people chipped in to make it happen," Mr Hindson added.

"I really hope when they [donors] see the cars they feel a bit of pride."

The EAAA said it hoped to replace its existing RRVs with electric vehicles in future but that the current infrastructure was not yet in place.

The two Land Rovers being replaced will be used at events for engagement and publicity purposes.