Norwich base The home of anglia one
Helimed House in Norwich, the home of Anglia One, was officially opened in September 2021. Funded through generous gifts in Wills, the base enables EAAA crews to have the training, rest and welfare facilities required for a fully 24/7 helicopter operation. Helimed House was recognised in the Norwich and Norfolk Design and Craftmanship (DCA) Awards in November 2023.
Take a look around
Explore our 3D model and learn more about our hangar, crew room, simulation suite and rest facilities.
The Hangar
A vital part of Helimed House is the Hangar. This provides protection for the aircraft against the elements and an area for essential on-site maintenance. The Hangar is large enough to accommodate two aircraft. It has a large MegaDoor and a hydraulic Heli-lift so the aircraft can be relocated to the helipad quickly and easily, ready for taskings.
The Hangar is also future proofed in terms of changes/upgrades to aircraft in the future and will accommodate aircraft larger than the 145 if required. At the front, overlooking each airfield is the large ‘Megadoor’ – an electronic, vertical lifting door through which the aircraft is moved through by Helilift to the helipad, just like a large garage door. The Megadoor at Helimed House can be operated by a single team member, which assists in the speed of deployment of the aircraft.Equipment and tools are carefully stored and monitored by the engineering team within the hangar environment, and only authorised team members can enter the hangar area.
Temperature levels are automatically controlled to ensure they remain within a specified band. This is to ensure engineers and crew can safely equip or work on the aircraft.
Simulation suite
The state-of-the-art immersive, simulation suite Helimed House supports the delivery of clinical training and innovation in the field of out-of-hospital critical care.
This includes EAAA’s clinical training in Advanced Life Support, Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) courses, and POCUS and SPEAR training to name a few. The simulation suite can replicate environments and challenges that clinicians may experience when attending patients, including recreating weather conditions such as wind, cold and heat. With images and videos of people, interiors and landscapes projected onto the walls, the simulation suite can also support clinicians’ training to remain focused in what can be chaotic environments.
Crew rest facilities
EAAA is a 24/7 life-saving service, therefore it’s important to have appropriate crew welfare and rest facilities to support this. Helimed House has rest pods for on-shift crews and sleeping facilities for crew between shifts.
The crew room
The crew room has office facilities for the duty crew. This is where you will find the red phone for incoming tasks, a screen showing a live digital weather map, and office equipment, as well as a crew kitchen and sofa area.
Interior space for Critical Care Car
Helimed House has a car port and an interior space for our critical care car. The area is an ‘air lock’ to maintain security and has charging facilities for the car and the medical equipment contained within the vehicle. An automatic eject feature disconnects this when the car is started. This ensures a fast and safe exit for the crew when they are tasked by road to a medical emergency.
Other areas
Supported by some of the incredible EAAA volunteers, the Welcome Desk and their friendly faces are some of the first things you will see on a visit to Helimed House. The volunteers will welcome you into the building, help you with your enquiry or connect you up with the relevant person. The Welcome Desk area also has seating for waiting or informal meetings, as well as toilets and tea and coffee-making facilities.
A dedicated meeting and events space, which is available for external organisations to use and to further connections with the local communities we are proud to serve. The Hub at Helimed House is a large purpose-built space flooded with natural light and offers flexible seating options for up to 80 guests. It’s the perfect venue for away days, conferences, meetings, lectures, courses and workshops.
Many of the charity’s ground staff also call Helimed House home. This includes some of the charity’s fundraising team for Norfolk and Suffolk, the HR and Finance teams and some of the Supporter Engagement Team who are available to answer your questions and support you with fundraising and donations.
