IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – As the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer begin – a time when emergency calls and accidents occur – emergency response teams everywhere gear up for a busy season. While many rush to the rescue on the ground, there’s one team that takes flight: Air Idaho.
The crew on board Air Idaho’s medical helicopter has to be ready at a moment’s notice to respond to even the most extreme and hard-to-reach calls.
With a crew of just four, each member is vital to the operation. The pilot ensures a safe journey through unpredictable skies. The flight paramedic and nurse offer critical care to patients in a space no bigger than a closet. The mechanic works behind the scenes to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Inside the helicopter, the environment is loud, fast and intense. Registered Flight Nurse Kristi Allred says, “In the helicopter, it’s a little bit unique from the hospital setting for different reasons. It’s very loud. We’re trying to operate with helmets, talk through microphones. It’s a lot smaller working area to try and care for someone that is injured or ill. So it does bring a lot of unique challenges.”
The crew often has to make quick decisions with limited information. “We usually have just a small, just a little bit of information of what we’re flying into,” Allred says, “So being able to make a plan and with just a few moments, it can be challenging.”
But even in a profession where every moment counts, “We take the job very seriously. We move with urgency. But we are not going to rush,” Critical Care Flight Paramedic Dallen Farmer says.
So as the busy season approaches, with many heading outdoors to ride ATVs, jet skis, and more, it really is the simplest acts of safety that make a difference between life and death. “I always tell people I would much rather meet them in a grocery store than than in the helicopter,” Famer says, “Just put your frickin seatbelt on. Wear a helmet. Don’t maybe go as fast as you think you need to… Make wise choices.”
