The paramedic and nurse on board have at least five years of experience. It is equipped with blood, plasma and a defibrillator. For those with critical injuries or illness, air medical helicopters can sometimes be the difference between life and death.
“It’s like a traveling hospital. It just happens to fly at 180 mph,” AirMedCare Network Membership Sales Manager Vicki Prince told members of the Williamsburg Kiwanis Club during its monthly meeting April 12.
AirMedCare includes a network of several air ambulance services, including Air Evac Lifeteam, which has a base at the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport, U.T. Lifestar, Guardian Flight and others.
The Air Evac base in Whitley County averages 25-30 flights per month or about one per day.
Prince noted that there are numerous reasons why someone might be flown out, such as a heart attack, a stroke, a snake bit, internal bleeding, internal injuries and head trauma.
While places like Baptist Health Corbin and St. Joseph London are good hospitals, they may not have everyone there are one time that someone with these types of injuries might need, she added.
“Time is of the essence in a rural area,” Prince said. “Now usually within minutes we can get someone in the air.”
Most of the pilots for the air ambulance service are former military.
