The first Air Ambulance in Hertfordshire took to the skies this month after a tremendous fundraising effort from residents across the county. Chief Reporter Michael Pickard went to meet the team that could save your life.

Dial 999 and ask for an ambulance. The chances are that a white van with four wheels, flashing blue lights and a loud siren will immediately race towards you.

Before Monday, November 10, that same ambulance would have come to your aid wherever you were - whether at home, in your car on the motorway or out walking the dog.

And since that date, that same ambulance will still respond to any emergency anywhere.

But one thing has changed. When before paramedics would sometimes struggle to reach casualties stranded in remote locations, Hertfordshire now has its own Air Ambulance to call on.

From North Weald airfield across the Essex border, where the crew share their office with Weald Aviation Services, a red and white MD902 Explorer helicopter takes off within four minutes of receiving an emergency call.

Travelling at speeds of up to 140 knots (around 150 miles per hour), the Air Ambulance brings vital, life-saving hospital treatment to any location in Hertfordshire within 15 minutes.

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