We have worked with Bicton Horse Trials to improve response times using the what3words app.
Bicton Arena is recognised as the leading equestrian venue in the Southwest of England. The British leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup 2025 was hosted at Bicton, Devon on 22 – 25 May we are proud to have supported the emergency services plan for this popular event.
When a serious fall at Bicton International Horse Trials occurred in May 2023, the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) Desk dispatched us to the incident.
Although site details were relayed by the HEMS Desk, Capt. Rich Tate, Senior Pilot, who was first on scene, found it hard to find the precise location of the incident as it occurred under tree cover and the on-site land ambulance and injured rider were all hidden from aerial view.
Such obstacles can absorb valuable time as the helicopter has to circle above the site to establish the best place to land, which is also stressful for the crew as they knew the rider needed their urgent care. Once Rich managed to locate the incident and land, it was soon established that they needed to bring in the second helicopter for further medical back up – a much swifter process since a suitable landing location had now been identified.
Following each incident we attend, the crew, including the pilot, discuss the details of the flight, the treatment given to their patient and the location to talk about their observations and share feedback that might improve our access or performance on similar missions in the future.
Rich and his colleague, Sue, who looks after pre-surveyed landing sites for the organisation, discussed exactly this and set about trying to find a better way to locate fallen riders in this location.
We came up with the idea that as every fence on the cross country course has a dedicated fence judge, already equipped with a list of information. By simply adding the what3words location to each jump, the judge would be able to inform the HEMS desk dispatchers of this unique code, conveying to them the precise location of the fall. In turn this would mean that the pilot can go swiftly and directly to the incident.
Sue Fallon, Flight Operations Administrator for Devon Air Ambulance
Helen West, Co-Director at Bicton, fully embraced this idea, and for October 2024’s International Horse trials Helen collated the relevant what3words location for each jump, which was shared with every jump judge, Chief Steward and First Aider in attendance, as well as Devon Air Ambulance and the HEMS desk ahead of the event. Capt Rich Tate added:
what3words references are significantly better – a game changer – for any incident as it pins down the landing spot to a 3-metre area rather than a grid reference, which can be up to 100 square metres + location point. This means that all the onboard flight equipment can be programmed quickly and efficiently directing me, or any other pilot, to the exact location, saving critical time in conveying the medical team straight to the patient.
This simple addition to the pre-planning of any event could prove vital in getting the right resource to the exact location as efficiently and safely as possible in the event of an accident or incident.
Helen West commented
‘Eventing is a high-risk sport, and we are incredibly grateful to Devon Air Ambulance for the support they have provided to us and our competitors over the past few years. We are always looking to improve and enhance our Safety & Incident Management protocols and over the past 12 months we have been working closely with Devon Air Ambulance to look at how we can speed up the landing of air ambulance helicopters should an accident occur.
‘Providing what3words references really does give us greater confidence of being able to get the right treatment to patient in the quickest timeframe. I honestly believe this could be a game changer and would urge other events (both British Eventing affiliated events as well as non-equestrian events) to do the same. Don’t just think of W3W as a geographic tool for use for individual emergencies, it plays a vital role in event safety planning for events, both large scale and small.’
Download the what3words app on your devices to minimise the time it takes to find you or someone close to you in the event of a medical or trauma incident. It could make a valuable time difference.
