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$10,000 Donation to Help Create Disaster Civilian Helicopter Database
Recognizing the role civilian helicopter services played in rescue efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the even greater role they could play with an orchestrated deployment plan in place, Air Evac Lifeteam and Helicopter Association International (HAI) are joining forces to take the first step in the development of a First Responder database.
Air Evac Lifeteam, a provider of rural-based air ambulance services, on Tuesday presented a check for $10,000 to HAI Executive Director Matt Zuccaro for the purpose of promoting research, education and awareness of the role private helicopter operators can play in the aftermath of natural disasters and other catastrophic situations. The donation was presented at the Heli-Expo 2006 in Dallas.
Zuccaro said he sincerely appreciated the generous donation presented by Air Evac, which will be put to good use in developing the First Responder Database.
“The intent of the database is to provide a central repository of civilian helicopter resources that would be available to respond during times of need,” Zuccaro said. “The First Responder Program is designed to take full advantage of the benefits and capabilities of helicopters and other aircraft to assist rescue efforts during times of emergency or crisis. The First Responder Database was created in response to the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.”
Zuccaro also encouraged operators to consider becoming part of the database by going to the HAI web site at www.rotor.com, and clicking on the appropriate link.
In presenting the check, Air Evac Lifeteam President and CEO Colin Collins said Air Evac is pleased to provide HAI with the first of many resources they will need to put this database in place.
“We applaud their efforts and encourage others in the industry to do the same,” he added. “As one of many civilian helicopter operators who responded following Hurricane Katrina, we know firsthand the challenges private operators faced.
“The day after the hurricane made landfall, we mobilized crews and helicopters and started making our way to the region to offer our assistance,” Collins said. “Soon after arrival, we learned there was not a coordinated rescue operation in place or a system established to help filter evacuation requests. After reviewing the situation, we made the decision to work independently with hospital systems in the region to evacuate critical patients from medical facilities along the coast.
“Although we were able to offer assistance to many who needed it, we believe our efforts, as well as those of many other civilian air operators, would have been met with greater success if we had been able to coordinate resources and work together,” Collins added.
Air Evac Lifeteam sent eight helicopters and more than 65 employees to the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts and, in five days, provided medical transport to more than 100 patients. A few weeks later, as Hurricane Rita was predicted to make landfall in Texas, Air Evac Lifeteam responded with five helicopters and more personnel to evacuate patients from the Gulf Coast hospitals between Houston and Beaumont, Texas.
“This donation is being presented today on behalf of our more than 470,000 Air Evac Lifeteam members,” Collins said. “In the last quarter of 2005, we asked our members to join us to raise funds to support Katrina relief efforts. We set aside a portion of the proceeds we took in from new memberships during that time period and raised an astonishing $60,000.”
This donation to HAI, along with a donation of $10,000 to Angel Flight America, which provided medical transportation to more than 3,700 patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is the first of several disbursements of money we plan to make on behalf of our members, Collins said.
Angel Flight America, a non-profit, volunteer-based charitable air transportation program, completed more than 2,500 hurricane-related missions, utilizing more than 6,500 volunteer pilots. Their missions included transporting high-risk patients to safer areas, flying emergency workers and supplies into the region and reuniting and relocating families displaced during evacuations.
Air Evac Lifeteam, based in West Plains, Mo., is the largest independently owned air ambulance service in the United States. The membership-supported air ambulance service operates 60 bases in 11 states throughout the central United States. Information about Air Evac Lifeteam services can be found at www.lifeteam.net.
HAI is the professional trade association for the civil helicopter industry. Its 1,350-plus-member organizations and 1,150 individual members, in more than 73 nations, safely operate more than 4,500 helicopters approximately 2.3 million hours each year. HAI is dedicated to the promotion of the helicopter as a safe, effective method of commerce and to the advancement of the civil helicopter industry. Information about HAI can be found at www.rotor.com
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