Replaces Helo Lost In 2006 Accident

Mercy Air added a Bell 222 helicopter and its pilot, flight nurse and paramedic to a new station at the Hesperia Airport April 1. Mercy Air 22 is available 24 hours a day and responds not only to scenes of accidents, but will also transport to and from facilities.

A new helipad is under construction and the company is refurbishing a former flight school for crew quarters. The crew is using an old helipad temporarily.

Before this helicopter was added, there was only one in the Victor Valley stationed in Victorville, according to the Victorville (CA) Daily Press. Paramedic and business development coordinator Bill Jones said the crew didn't have to wait long to get started, either -- they were already busy with a call on their first day.

The Bell 222 can transport up to two patients, and is slightly faster than the company's Bell 412 stationed in Victorville, Jones said. The company chose Hesperia because of its proximity to mountain communities and lower San Bernardino County.

"What we're doing is, we're reacting to the number of calls up in this area and want to make sure we have it adequately covered, which now we feel we're going to do," said Jones.

"It definitely shows a need and everybody knows it," said Hesperia mayor pro tem Mike Leonard.

Spokesman for nearby St. Mary Medical Center, Randy Bevilacqua, said any service that will reduce transport times to trauma centers, well within the "golden hour" after an incident, will ensure a patient better care.

St. Mary Medical Center is scheduled to build a new branch in Victorville to house a trauma center, but is a good five to 10 years in the future, Bevilacqua said. There are no other trauma centers in the area.

Jones termed the decision to base a helo in the High Desert a "no brainer." But the corporate office needed some persuading to drop $2 million into a new helicopter and base.

"Mercy Air's new helicopter is a welcome addition to our life-saving air-ambulance service in this busy, growing area," San Bernardino County Fire Chief Pat A. Dennen said.

There are times when San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department helicopters are available with medical personnel, Jones said, but there are no other aeromedical services in the area.

"The growth of the High Desert has made Hesperia the ideal location for a new air medical base," Mercy Air wrote in release to ANN. "We believe this new base will allow us to better meet the growing needs of the communities we serve."

City Councilman Ed Pack agrees, saying, "It's a win-win for the whole High Desert but especially for Hesperia and county people in Oak Hills. We'd probably increase response time by 10 to 15 minutes."

Mercy air operates a total 13 helicopters in Southern California and Nevada. The company suffered the loss of three crew members December 10, 2006 when Mercy Air 2 crashed in the Cajon Pass after dropping off a patient at Loma Linda. The NTSB has released a preliminary report, as reported by ANN, but the cause is still under investigation.

FMI: www.airmethods.com/company/careers/index.cfm, www.ntsb.gov