Swindon, UK and Spartanburg, SC – AFL, a manufacturer of fibre optic cable and accessories and provider of services, nominated Wiltshire Air Ambulance as 2014 Charity of the Year. The announcement comes during a visit to Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Air Support Unit in Devizes, UK where AFL associates presented a grant for £1000 made possible by AFL’s Community Outreach Program. The grant supports the purchase of three Go-Pro® Hero digital cameras for use by crew during helicopter rescue missions.

“AFL surveyed our associates to determine which charities they would like us to support—the most popular response by far was Wiltshire Air Ambulance,” said Jo Lawrence, Sales and Marketing Coordinator at AFL. “We were delighted to provide an AFL Community Outreach grant but we wanted to do more. By naming Wiltshire Air Ambulance as our Charity of the Year, our associates will be more engaged with our community and active in fundraising activities to support the organisation.”

Wiltshire Air Ambulance provides essential helicopter emergency medical service to a population of 684,000 throughout the county of Wiltshire and Swindon. The charity does not receive any government funding and relies totally on the generosity of the public and local businesses to keep this life saving service operational.

“Alongside the vital lifesaving equipment that the crew carry on board the helicopter is a digital camera which captures vital images at the scene of an accident,” stated Karen Gambrell, Trust and Foundations Fundraiser for Wiltshire Air Ambulance. “These photos can provide key information to the medical team when the patient reaches the hospital or if a criminal offence has taken place.”

Later this year, Wiltshire Air Ambulance will take delivery of a new helicopter when its current partnership with Wiltshire Police comes to an end. It will then cost £2.5million a year or £6,850 per day to keep the air ambulance operational.

AFL has an extensive community outreach program that provides grants, sponsorships, employee engagement projects, disaster relief and more. For additional information on AFL and its community initiatives, visit www.AFLglobal.com.

About AFL
AFL provides industry-leading products and services to the electric utility, broadband, communications, enterprise and OEM markets as well as the emerging markets of oil and gas, mining, nuclear, avionics, renewables and transportation. The company’s diverse product portfolio includes fiber optic cable, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectors, fusion splicers, test equipment and training. AFL’s service portfolio includes market-leading positions with the foremost communications companies supporting inside plant central office, EF&I, outside plant, enterprise and wireless areas.

Founded in 1984, AFL is proud to offer engineering expertise, exceptional products and reliable service that help our customers improve their critical and electrical infrastructure. AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific. The company is headquartered in Spartanburg, SC and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com.

About Wiltshire Air Ambulance
Wiltshire Air Ambulance (WAA) is a registered charity providing an essential helicopter emergency medical service throughout the county and beyond. For more than 20 years, the helicopter and crew have been involved in more than 18,000 missions involving medical emergencies and accidents, ranging from serious sports injuries to multiple vehicle collisions. Wiltshire Air Ambulance attends, on average, two to three potentially life-saving missions a day. The air ambulance is available 19 hours per day, 365 days per year and is one of few air ambulances in the UK that can fly at night with the capability of ad-hoc landings, offering offers patients the best possible prospect of survival and full recovery.

Contacts
Jo Lawrence
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
AFL
44.1793.647269
Joanne.Lawrence@AFLglobal.com

Corie Culp
Community Relations Manager
AFL
864.433.5409
Corie.Culp@AFLglobal.com