Air Methods’ Life Flight, City of Fitchburg Host Groundbreaking Event
Ceremony Marks Importance of Air Ambulance Service in Fitchburg, Worcester County
Air Methods’ Life Flight 2 air ambulance program partnered with the City of Fitchburg to host a groundbreaking event at Fitchburg Municipal Airport to ceremoniously recognize the importance of fast, reliable air medical services in the community.
Earlier this year, Air Methods partnered with the City of Fitchburg to ensure critical health care access to Worcester County and beyond. Life Flight 2 is a community-based program providing lifesaving services 24/7/365, responding to emergency medical and trauma events including heart attacks, strokes, pediatric emergencies, burns, and other critical incidents—essentially serving as a flying emergency room and intensive care unit. Additionally, the team provides interfacility transport services when patients need to move between hospitals for specialized care.
“Throughout the state, we’ve seen an increased need for air medical service over the past year,” said Air Methods Regional Director Aidan O’Connor Jr. “We are grateful to be able to serve the communities of Leominster, Lunenburg, and the great City of Fitchburg and develop this partnership with the city and their beautiful airport. Partnerships like these ensure we are meeting the needs of the communities in northern Worcester County and southern New Hampshire and Vermont.”
Life Flight 2 not only has provided life-saving services since opening this spring, but they have also supported the community in many events and activities, such as the police cadets summer program, training with local EMS/Fire partners, and assisting requestors whenever called upon.
“Since opening, Life Flight 2’s services have been invaluable for our residents,” said City of Fitchburg Mayor Stephan DiNatale. “It’s reassuring to know that when there is an emergency, we now have a complete ecosystem of emergency medical care for our community.”
Equipped with industry-leading equipment and medical devices on every flight, the Life Flight 2 team carries whole blood to positively increase patient outcomes through collaborative pre-hospital care.
The Life Flight 2 team — a crew consisting of a pilot, critical care nurse, and critical care paramedic, and maintainers — all receiving annual state-of-the-art specialty training. Pilots are trained using Level D Full Flight Simulators, the highest fidelity flight simulator approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, representing the most sophisticated and accurate simulators used by most commercial airlines. Clinicians receive hands-on training through Air Methods Ascend, an in-person and online training program that allows clinicians to perform at the top of their licensure. Ascend is also available to medical personnel across the country.
Life Flight 2 is based at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport, ensuring response times are rapid when dispatched. To mark the importance of air medical service, the program worked with the city and the airport to receive approvals to construct an aircraft hangar and living quarters for the flight crew. The anticipated completion of construction is January 2024.
