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06/19/2008: "Airlift Northwest To Return This Summer"

(The flight map example of distance/time shows starting times from Arlington)

Airlift Northwest will once again base one of it helicopters at the Friday Harbor airport this summer to expedite emergency services for residents and visitors in the San Juan Islands. The move will expedite emergency services for residents and visitors in the San Juan Islands.

By basing a helicopter at Friday Harbor, the response times will be shortened, not only to Friday Harbor, but to all the islands as well.

The helicopter will be at the airport Friday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Service begins on June 20 and will run through Labor Day weekend.

“We inaugurated this service last summer in cooperation with the San Juan Island EMS,” said Jeff Richey, Northwest Region Manager for Airlift Northwest. “We were able to provide a quicker response during a time of year when more visitors come to the islands and the need increases for emergency services.”

Airlift Northwest transported 253 patients from the island during all of 2007 – with a little over one-third of those flights occurring during the time a helicopter was placed in Friday Harbor. From January to May this year, 146 flights have been conducted, compared to 83 during the same time in 2007.

“We are experiencing an increased need for air medical transportation again this year and expect this to continue during the busy summer season,” said San Juan Island EMS Chief Jim Cole. “We appreciate Airlift Northwest recognizing this need and adding to the number of weekends when they will base an aircraft in Friday Harbor. This is a very positive relationship that provides superior service for people on the islands who experience a critical medical or traumatic emergency.”

“By basing a helicopter at Friday Harbor, we shorten response times not only to Friday Harbor, but to all the islands as well,” Richey said. “Having San Juan EMS as our partner in this service assures residents they will get the best possible care when they are critically ill or injured and need air medical transportation.”

Airlift nurses and pilots will stay at the San Juan Island EMS crew quarters which are just minutes from the Friday Harbor helipad. This local positioning of the crew and aircraft will significantly shorten the time required for the helicopter to reach a patient in the San Juan Islands. Cole explained that San Juan Island EMS, or the EMS teams on Orcas, Lopez and other islands, will continue to bring patients to an airport or landing zone to meet the ALNW helicopter.

As an additional service, Airlift Northwest operates a membership program that is available to people on the islands. Under that program, called AirCare, when Airlift Northwest is requested by a medical facility or an emergency response team to fly a critically ill or injured patient to appropriate medical care, the portion of the Airlift Northwest bill that isn’t covered by insurance or Medicare is paid through the membership.

A membership in AirCare is $79 a year and covers all members of a household. Information is available on-line at www.airliftnw.org or by calling 888-835-1599.