High-tech upgrades mark medical helicopter's years of service
By Jeff Hansel
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
What's been in Rochester for a quarter century?
Helicopter ambulance service.
|
By the numbers
Mayo first began operating helicopters: October, 1984 Team members in the beginning: 11 Team members now: 40 Original team: Dan Mueller from the first team is still a flight nurse Helicopter bases: Rochester; Mankato; Eau Claire, Wis. Cost of the newest helicopter: $7 million Flights per year: About 900 Started with: 1 helicopter Helicopters now: 4 (including one backup) Average flight time: 1-1/2 hours Total helicopter flights since 1984: 28,500 Since 1984, Rochester, about 17,000 Since 1993, Eau Claire, about 7,500 Since 2002, Mankato, about 4,000 Fixed-wing service since 1994, about 3,000 Fuel burned per hour: 75 gal. |
||
Mayo Clinic Medical Transport delivered a helicopter to the Mayo Civic Center on Thursday for an emergency responder conference.
"Since it's the 25th anniversary of the conference, and of Mayo One, that's why we wanted to have the helicopter here," said spokesman Glenn Lyden.
The "2009 EMS, the Heroes Among Us" conference offers training to first responders in skills such as farm-accident response, teen suicide, rabies and pediatric trauma. EMS workers will also get an up-close look at the shiny blue new Mayo One.
Mayo is gradually replacing its helicopters with new ones containing the latest high-tech equipment, such as terrain awareness, so pilots know the level of hills and valleys; aircraft detection, so pilots know about other helicopters and planes; weather radar and device similar to the "black box" on commercial jet liners. It records video and audio, mostly for training purposes, as well as flight and helicopter data.The black box is the first on any civilian helicopter, Lyden said. It can be used to train first responders such as officers who are responsible for clearing a landing site by allowing them to see what the pilot sees upon approach. "There's a lot of information available to us on the new aircraft that we never had before," said Jason Mohr, a contract pilot with OmniFlight, which flies the medical helicopters, "so it's a great enhancement in terms of safety."
Web links
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=390823

