Utah air ambulance company to provide faster emergency services with new designation

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

BRIGHAM CITY — Jen Prince had a few work options when she was training to be a pilot.

She could fly tourists around the Grand Canyon, or she could take people home by helicopter after work, a growing form of transportation in cities with heavy traffic.

Those jobs were fine, but when she came across the idea of piloting a medical transport helicopter — an air ambulance — she could not help but get excited.

"When I came across this, I thought: 'Now, this is what I want to do!' It's so fulfilling," Prince said. "It is pretty cool to have a nurse and a paramedic up there with you when you're heading to maybe save someone's life. You know, you're doing something that matters."

Prince's job has become even more fulfilling as a result of some changes in her work. Recently, the company she flys for, AirLife Utah, has been given first responder status, allowing the company's helicopter crew to land the aircraft without assistance from a ground crew and offer assistance to those in need.

And it can do so in a fraction of the time that an ambulance or firetruck could.

With guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Methods — AirLife Utah's parent company — made changes and improvements to strenghthen a first responder team. The first responder designation was given to AirLife Utah by Air Methods with the assistance of the FAA.

This is a big change from AirLife Utah's prior status. In the recent past, it could not land its helicopter until first responders on the ground could clear a landing zone. There were positives to this old way of doing things, mainly that those on the ground could alert the AirLife crew of wires or cables as well as move onlookers away from a site.

AirLife Utah crews will still rely on ground crews to help create a safe landing spot. However, they will no longer be required to do so before treating someone in need of emergency care in the Brigham City and Lehi areas.

"The first responder designation means we are able to save more lives," said Erik Bornemeier, an account executive with Air Methods. "There was no emergency helicopter transport anywhere in Box Elder County, so now we get to places in a shorter amount of time than those on the ground can. And that's beneficial for all of us."

AirLife Utah crews can also save lives without the patient and their family worrying about an exorbitant bill for helicopter transport to the hospital. Bornemeier noted another change is the ability to bill directly to the patients' insurance companies, with most payments for patients coming to less than $500. Those without insurance may pay a smaller amount or have their balance erased.

While he would not provide information regarding how much money it costs to send a crew — a nurse, a paramedic and a pilot — to an emergency location or how much money the company plans to make from this change, Bornemeier did say that the for-profit company does understand it is important to keep prices and costs relatively low.

For now, Prince and her colleagues are spending some of their time informing area fire departments and emergency medical services in northern Utah, as well as parts of Wyoming, about AirLife Utah's new designation and its desire to help.

"Before, we used to get one or two calls a month to go on a call. We'd get a call, but the people on the ground ... had to get there before we could," she said. "Now, we can head out to places that firetrucks and ambulances can't get to. It's good to let people know we can save more lives."

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Ivy Farguheson

Ivy Farguheson has worked in journalism in Indiana, Wisconsin and Maryland.