Rescue service gets new helicopter for local base
By Chad Hensiak
Correspondent
The first of two new helicopters arrived March 14 at Flight for Life’s Burlington base – and not a moment too soon.
According to Chief Flight Nurse Carissa Jones the helicopter made its first rescue flight the same evening.
Having the new helicopter stationed at the base in the Burlington Municipal airport allows the flight crew to respond to emergencies in the area faster than leaving from the Waukesha Flight base.
“Burlington is a great location because it gets us to patients in Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth Counties at least 15 minutes faster,” Jones said.
Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty and Burlington Fire Chief Alan Babe greeted the Flight for Life crew upon their arrival at the airport. Once the helicopter was parked in the hangar, Hefty and Babe talked with the flight crew and took a tour of the new helicopter.
Before arriving in Burlington, the new model EC145 C2E helicopter was delivered to the Waukesha Flight for Life base in early February so crews could set up equipment and begin training with the new aviation, communication and medical technologies.
This is the first of two new helicopters being delivered to Flight for Life. The second was scheduled to be delivered and set up on Tuesday so it can be put into service at the Waukesha Flight base.
Along with state-of-the-art medical equipment, the new helicopters are loaded with cutting edge avionics technologies designed to improve navigation and safety with improved collision avoidance systems, real time weather radar, and an engine and fuel monitoring system that reports to Flight’s Communication Center in real time, according to Jones.
“We have our own communication center and the new software in the helicopter allows the dispatchers to be more involved with each flight by monitoring our operations in real time – almost like a second eyes,” she said.
Fuel capacity and payload were also increased with the new helicopters. According to Jones, “These helicopters have a higher payload that allows us to transport patients on heavier lifesaving equipment to area hospitals, and the higher fuel capacity allows us to transport patients to Milwaukee hospitals from as far away as Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, and Indiana.”
Flight for Life is a non-profit organization. Jones has served more than 10 years as a flight nurse with the organization.
“We want to thank the community for their overwhelming support,” she said. “It has been very humbling. We look forward to continuing to provide the safest and highest quality of care to our patients.”
-
-
-
-
-