Quantcast

New Helicopters Land at Sanford - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

New Helicopters Land at Sanford

Posted: Updated:

Sanford health has a new upgrade to their medical air transport fleet. They recently purchased three brand new EC-145 helicopters and they're now ready fly. Bringing Sanford's helicopter fleet to a total of four.

The three helicopters will replace the leased choppers that Sanford currently uses. They'll be stationed in Fargo, Sioux Falls, and Bemidji, with a forth helicopter on reserve for back up use.

The new helicopters are state of the art flying intensive care units. They can handle anything from major trauma patients to heart attack victims, even small NICU infants.

Advanced avionics on the new aircraft also allow them to fly differently than the previous choppers. "The EC-145s are Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) rated; therefore they are able to fly in more extreme weather conditions; as opposed to the old models that were only Visual Flight Rules (VFR) rated", says Tim Meyer, Director of Sanford Health's Emergency Air Transport.

The EC-145's also load the patients from the rear which is faster, safer and more efficient for not only the patient but the crew as well.

Sanford transports over 1,000 people per year on their helicopters and will have the new ones in Fargo and Bemidji on-line starting Saturday at 7pm, Sioux Falls is already operational.

  • Local News

  • Authorities say an elementary school in an Oklahoma City suburb took a direct hit from a mile-wide tornado. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department says there is no word of injuries from
    The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office says 51 people have been killed in an Oklahoma City suburb after a massive tornado ripped through. An elementary school took a direct hit.
  • The devastation in Oklahoma is so widespread Oklahoma emergency responders are asking for help from around the country, and Fargo is preparing to make the trip. Valley News Team's Hope Hanselman spoke
    The devastation in Oklahoma is so widespread Oklahoma emergency responders are asking for help from around the country, and Fargo is preparing to make the trip. Valley News Team's Hope Hanselman spoke
  • Resident in the northeastern North Dakota town of Crystal have a major flood battle on their hands Monday night.   The 138 residents of that town, along with folks from neighboring towns have been battling
    Resident in the northeastern North Dakota town of Crystal have a major flood battle on their hands Monday night.   The 138 residents of that town, along with folks from neighboring towns have been battling
Powered by WorldNow
Powered by WorldNowAll content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and Valley News Live. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.