Actions spoke louder than words as a grand opening ceremony for Life Flight Network’s Hoquiam base was underlined partway through by a call to transport a patient.
The medevac organization has averaged better than a flight a day since starting operations in early June, said CEO Ben Clayton as he addressed a crowd of dozens at Bowerman Airport. Wednesday was no exception, as Hoquiam firefighters transferred a patient for immediate medevac right before the crowd.
“It’s every day. We’re being used every day,” Clayton said. “Even I was a little surprised by that.”
Life Flight, which is spread across 28 helicopter bases and 10 fixed-wing aircraft bases in four states, works with local emergency departments, transporting over 15,000 patients each year, said Natalie Hannah, a public affairs specialist for the nonprofit.
Community oriented
“We’re here to serve our communities. We live and work in our communities,” Clayton said as he addressed the crowd. “We want to be here for the next several decades.”
Clayton, a former Marine helicopter pilot, said his priorities for the organization are safety and clinical care.
“Life Flight Network is here to save lives. It’s what we do,” Clayton said. “Time becomes a huge issue, especially in a rural area.”
Local public safety organizations, officials from Harbor Regional Health and the Port of Grays Harbor and others attended the launch.
“It’s awesome,” said Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Knodel of the Aberdeen Fire Department. “Just to have the service in our rural area, it makes it easier for EMS to get a chopper. It’s nice to have that option”
Local departments have worked closely with Life Flight to set up standardized landing zones that are safe for helicopter operations, and have trained with flight crews to safely operate and load patients into the aircraft, said Chief Matt Miller of the Hoquiam Fire Department.
“These guys will do a hot load, which means not turning the chopper off,” Miller said. “It’s real quick.”
Life Flight has been extremely cooperative for joint training, Knodel said.
“They’re great to work with,” Knodel said. “They’re very open to doing any type of training we want.”
Time is life
One of the major advantages of airborne medevac capability is cutting huge amounts of critical time off a medevac compared to a ground transport, Clayton said. That’s especially critical, given the geography of Grays Harbor and the distance from the advanced care available in hospitals in places like Tacoma and Seattle.
“It’s minutes, as opposed to hours,” Clayton said. “If somebody calls us, we’re going to help them.”
Clayton, who flew for the company before moving into the CEO position, said Life Flight’s pilots are ready for the weather the region is known for, when the summer isn’t being unusually hot and dry.
“Our pilots are certified and trained to fly in the clouds,” Clayton said.”We’re making significant investments in hospital approaches.”
By investing in approaches for the hospitals, Clayton said, pilots can go directly to patients without requiring extra ambulance trips when necessary.
Guests at the grand ceremony witnessed just such a transfer Wednesday as Hoquiam firefighters loaded a patient aboard the Life Flight helicopter, which took off, transporting the patient to more advanced care inland.
It was somewhat similar to the station’s opening in June, where the helicopter had been dispatched for a medevac early that morning, even before the brief ceremony as the station was declared operational.
“We want to support the area and make sure everyone has access to healthcare,” Clayton said. “Clearly, here, there’s been a need for a number of years.”
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.
A Life Flight Network medevac helicopter takes off after a call to transport a patient interrupted a grand opening ceremony for the organization at Bowerman Airport on July 26. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)
Life Flight Network Ben Clayton speaks during a grand opening ceremony for the organization at Bowerman Airport on July 26. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)
A Life Flight Network flight crew and local officials pose for a photo during the organization’s grand opening ceremony at Bowerman Airport on July 26. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)
