First Responders Day: Air Evac Lifeteam — critical care transport

SIKESTON, Mo. — Helicopters aren't the most common sight in the Southeast Missouri skies, and so when the telltale air-chopping sound filters down, it's natural to look for the aircraft.

Some choppers leisurely survey the area, not particularly going anywhere and in no hurry to get there.

Others, though, have a purpose, and they're not difficult to spot. These aircraft are in a hurry, and they are heading in a straight line. If they are inbound to Cape Girardeau, they take one of two paths — over the city's western third, circling around to land at Saint Francis Medical Center, or through the heart of the city, drawing a bead on Southeast Hospital.

These are medical helicopters ferrying a patient who is facing a critical situation.

Among them are the Air Evac Lifeteam aircraft, such as the Bell 206 stationed in Sikeston, at Air Evac Base 3. The team provides critical care transport — getting patients to the appropriate medical facility while providing emergency-room-level care at about 140 miles an hour. While many may associate medical helicopter missions with serious vehicle crashes and tornado victims, missions also include patients with dangerous medical conditions who need care quickly.

Paramedic Kevin Smith said speed saves.

"You can get someone what they are needing at that specific time much quicker than we could from the ground. In this area, it's a really good thing, because you're an hour away from a Level-1 trauma center. Time is muscle. Time is a critical piece. So, we can really shave that down a lot with flying," he explained.

Experienced team

Chuck Groshong serves as program director at the base and has worked at the site for more than a decade. He recently took over as program director.

Groshong began his medical career as a paramedic in the Cape Girardeau area. From there he moved into nursing, working in Cape Girardeau hospitals. Then, the opportunity to join the Air Evan team came along.

"It is really the perfect combination for most all of our backgrounds — what we used to do on the ground or what we used to do in the ICU [intensive care unit] or ER," he said.

The director explained a typical flight crew consists of three people — pilot, nurse and paramedic. Pilots work 12-hour shifts, while nurses and paramedics work 12- or 24-hour shifts.

The Sikeston-based team operates in Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois. Its main service area is Scott, Cape Girardeau and Stoddard counties in Southeast Missouri, though hospitals in St. Louis are frequent destinations, Groshong noted.

Pilot Joe Hall, a 21-year Army veteran with a decade of experience as a military aviator, worked in the civilian aviation industry after separating from the military, but he said he wanted his work to mean more than a paycheck.

"I like feeling like I feel like I have done something, served the community, at the end of the day," he explained.

The pilot said the group has a constant focus.

"I really appreciate working with the folks here. Everybody works together as a team. When you have a dozen people working and living in a very tight environment, sometimes attitudes or opinions can get in the way, but that doesn't happen here," he offered. "That is probably the strength of this base — everybody is professional when they come to work. As soon as they pull in the parking lot, they are ready to work. It makes it easier to do your job when you know everybody around you is professional and ready to do their job."

Smith — who worked as a paramedic for seven years before joining Air Evac eight years ago — agreed.

"I love to fly, and I love to help people," he said. "I enjoy coming to work every day. I work with a great group of people, and we all have the same mission — providing quality critical care.

Typical day

Hall said a typical workday begins with a check on the weather, as some conditions make it unsafe to fly. Once all team members are aware of the situation, aircraft and equipment checks for the shift are the next order of business. Once everything is ready for flight, the crew stands by for a call.

Groshong said they generally don't wait long, averaging more than one flight per day. The calls come from myriad sources — law enforcement agencies, fire departments, hospitals.

While the workdays include an amount of routine processes, there is no such routine with the calls that come in.

"You have to prepare for everything you can," Groshong said. "You are preparing to be the best part of someone's worst day. There really is no margin for human error when you are caring for someone's life."

Every call the team goes on involves a serious medical situation, which can be grueling for team members.

"We counter the stress with our preparation, our education, with our experience," Groshong said. "There is less stress because we have gained experience over the years. We've been doing it long enough that we know this is where we belong."

Smith agreed, adding that one particular type of mission stands out.

"Pediatrics. We don't get a lot of those, but if you dwell on that, it will eat at you," he acknowledged. "Those are the most sensitive, and that's really changed since I have a little girl."

Training

All members of the team emphasized ongoing training to maintain certifications, learn new techniques and use the latest technology.

"If you want to consider yourself to be on the cutting edge of critical care transport, you have to keep up with those things, with your equipment, with your techniques," Groshong contended. "We don't like to be rusty in anything, because we get called for anything and everything. So, you have to maintain your skills."

He pointed to obstetrics and neonatal training as being a training focus.

"We don't fly a lot of those, but we have to be up to speed on it," he said.

Not only do the team members complete training for themselves, they provide training to ground personnel, such as identifying a suitable landing zone, recognizing potential hazards to the aircraft and using signals to communicate with the team.

Groshong said first responders on the ground are key to the Air Evac team being able to perform its missions.

"We can't say enough how much we appreciate our first responders. We really respect and appreciate everything they do for us."