Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex consists of a team of skilled experts responding to over 3,100 incidents each year across Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. With state-of-the-art capabilities and advanced medical equipment, their helicopters can reach the most critically ill patients within 30 minutes.
The helicopters are flying emergency rooms. They can land wherever necessary, whether it’s on the road, beach, or field. Their aircraft are fully equipped to ensure that they can keep treating the patient all the way to the hospital, and travelling by air reduces the time it takes between the incident and their patients receiving onward specialist care.
The charity also has four specially-equipped Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs), with skilled crew always ready to respond. Equipped with blue lights and sirens, they ensure quick navigation through traffic, allowing them to respond to emergencies when flying isn’t possible. The vehicles carry the same lifesaving equipment as the helicopters.
In 2024, Tonbridge Past President Peter Conetta (second from the right in the photo) led a Rotary District 1120 (South East England) project to raise the £50,000 needed to purchase an RRV for the charity. It took just over 6 months to exceed the target and most of the 68 clubs in the District, including Tonbridge, contributed in some way. The new RRV was purchased and handed over to AAKSS in April 2025.