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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Air Evac Lifeteam?

Air Evac Lifeteam (“AEL” or the “Company”), based in West Plains, Missouri, is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air ambulance company in the U.S. Supported by more than 635,000 members, Air Evac Lifeteam employs over 1,500 people and is the largest air ambulance provider in 8 of its 12 states of operation, serving over 1,300 diverse referral sources, including over 600 hospitals and 700 EMS agencies. The company operates the world’s largest fleet of more than 100 medically-equipped Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopters and has flown more than 135,000 people who were in critical need of care since its founding, carrying out its mission “to save lives and positively impact outcomes during life- or limb-threatening medical emergencies by providing rapid access to definitive emergency health care for people in rural America.”

How many base locations are in the Air Evac Lifeteam system? Where are they located?

There are 74 bases in 12 states across the Air Evac Lifeteam system. Bases are located in Alabama (5), Arkansas (8), Georgia (2) Illinois (5), Indiana (4), Iowa (1), Kentucky (4), Mississippi (2), Missouri (9), Oklahoma (7), Tennessee (9) and Texas (18 including 5 Texas LifeStar bases).

In which states is Air Evac Lifeteam the largest helicopter air ambulance service?

Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest helicopter air ambulance company in 8 of its 12 states, specifically Alabama (5 of 12 total bases), Arkansas (8 of 13 total bases), Illinois (5 of 17 total bases), Mississippi (2 of 5 total bases), Missouri (9 of 30 total bases), Oklahoma (7 of 15 total bases), Tennessee (9 of 21 total bases), and Texas (18 of 57 total bases).

What constitutes a base location? Who constitutes a flight crew?

Each base location includes a flight crew, mechanic, helicopter, landing pad, typically a hangar and crew quarters. Each Air Evac Lifeteam flight crew includes a pilot, registered nurse and paramedic.

How experienced are the flight crews?

The company’s pilots average more than 5,700 hours. Air Evac Lifeteam’s registered nurses average 6 years of critical care experience and the company’s paramedics average 10 years of active pre-hospital experience.

What type of transports does Air Evac Lifeteam conduct?

The crew is available 24 hours a day and can respond to the scenes of medical emergencies or make critical care inter-facility transfers. Air Evac Lifeteam helicopters frequently respond to the scenes of motor vehicle accidents, heart attacks, farm accidents, respiratory distress incidents and other traumatic injuries. Air Evac Lifeteam frequently transfers patients from rural hospitals to metropolitan hospitals that can provide acute trauma care.

What are the benefits of air ambulance transport?

A decrease in the time it takes to reach definitive care is the primary advantage of using air ambulance transport. Often, a patient can be transported in less than half the time it would take if driven by ground ambulance. Physicians use a term called the “Golden Hour” which refers to the first hour after a person gets injured or suffers a medical illness such as heart attack or stroke. Studies have shown that a patient’s chances of recovery are greatly increased if a patient can receive medical attention within that first hour. Each helicopter is equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment so crews can begin administering life-saving care at the scene and continue en route to the hospital.

Company History and Philosophy

When and why was Air Evac Lifeteam founded?

The company was founded in 1985 by a group of private citizens in the small town of West Plains, Missouri. They wanted to provide better access to emergency medical care for people who have chosen to live in rural communities. At that time, West Plains had a population of less than 9,000 and the closest major hospital was more than 100 miles away by ground ambulance. The road system in this hilly, remote region of the Ozarks often made it difficult to reach people in a timely manner.

The company founders, including a physician and retired Army Colonel, believed people who need air ambulance transport the most are the ones who live far away from a hospital. Air ambulances services at that time were typically based in metropolitan areas. They believed placing a helicopter in the rural area where it was needed most could be of great benefit to patients requiring rapid transport for critical medical emergencies.

What does Air Evac Lifeteam mean when it says that it is the largest independent air ambulance company in the U.S.?

Air Evac Lifeteam is comprised of 74 base locations, each of which is owned and operated by Air Evac Lifeteam, which supplies the aircraft, pilots and medical crew. The company’s bases are not financially tied to or supported by a particular receiving hospital. As such, the company is known for its ability to impartially work and collaborate with a variety of health care providers, including over 600 hospitals and over 700 EMS agencies, to place the patient first providing individualized care in transporting patients to the most appropriate medical facility. No other company in the U.S. has more base locations which are financially independent from hospitals under a common brand.

Why does Air Evac Lifeteam locate its bases in rural locations?

Quite simply, because that is where the most need is (see Critical Facts: Access to Definitive Health Care for Rural Americans). Through locating in a community-based format in rural areas, an air ambulance is positioned closest to the patient who finds himself in a life- or limb-threatening medical emergency, either at the scene of an accident/event or in a rural hospital incapable of providing definitive medical care, and must be rapidly transported into a large, urban medical center for definitive care. If the air ambulance was located at the large, urban medical center, there would likely be a significant “dead leg” to the response while the aircraft flies out to the rural area, thereby risking that patient’s chances of reaching definitive care within the ‘Golden Hour.’ As such, rural base placement is central to the company’s patient first focus.

As a company, what does Air Evac Lifeteam mean by its “patient first” focus?

As was the case in 1985 with the company’s founding, Air Evac Lifeteam’s customers are its patients and the company’s mission is focused on saving their lives and/or improving their outcomes during medical emergencies. The Company 1,500 mission-driven employees have a saying that they hope to be “the best thing to happen to someone on the worst day of his/her life.”

As such, the company’s operations and strategy are focused on achieving its mission for rural Americans, without any compromise. This includes:

Remaining an independent provider, free of financial subsidy or support from hospitals, which makes it possible to impartially work with many healthcare providers, including over 1,300 diverse referral sources representing over 600 hospitals and over 700 EMS agencies, to ensure patients are cared for and transported to the most appropriate medical facility;
Providing service to the medically underserved areas of rural America, often in areas that other air ambulance companies may not adequately service due to low population densities, high Medicaid populations or poor insurance reimbursement environments;
Responding rapidly through a dense, contiguous footprint of mutually-supporting bases in collaboration with numerous hospitals, physicians, 911 centers and EMS agencies;
Serving as true patient advocates in the company’s billing and collection efforts;
Taking an active role in the advancement of healthcare services in the communities it serves, through local interest in, knowledge of and relationships in each community;
Providing superior patient care and aviation operations associated with substantial financial resources, a professionally managed, common infrastructure and standardized, centrally controlled operations.

Medical Care

What role does AEL play in the emergency services community?

Air Evac Lifeteam crews work closely with ground ambulance services and other agencies in their service areas. AEL recognizes that good patient care requires a team effort of everyone involved –from first responders and law enforcement officials to ground ambulance and hospital personnel. We all play separate, but very distinct roles, in getting the patient to the appropriate medical care. Air Evac Lifeteam’s role is not to replace any emergency service already in place in a community. Air Evac is a resource to be called upon when a higher level of care is needed.

If I have a medical emergency, should I call the Air Evac Lifeteam Operations Center emergency line or the local 911 service?

Call your local 911 service. The 911 dispatchers are trained to get specific information about the medical emergency from the caller and determine what type of medical transportation best fits the situation. Although Air Evac Lifeteam members can place emergency calls directly to the Air Evac Lifeteam Operations Center, the best option is always to call the local 911 service first. The local service is more familiar with your location, as well as the availability of the local emergency resources. They may have information that would aid you that the Air Evac Lifeteam Operations Center may not be aware of. When the Air Evac Lifeteam Operations Center receives a call for emergency help from a source other than a health or emergency services agency, Lifeteam communication specialists will contact the ground EMS service in the patient’s community and ask them to respond to the scene in addition to the air ambulance. If your medical emergency meets certain criteria, such as a heart attack, stroke or a traumatic injury and the 911 dispatcher determines you would benefit from air medical transport, they will dispatch an air ambulance to your emergency, as well as a ground ambulance.

Do medical crews have specialized training?

AEL’s registered nurses average six years of critical care experience. Each is required to have a minimum of 3 years critical care experience.

AEL’s paramedics average 10 years of active pre-hospital experience, and are required to have 3 years of experience.

All medical crewmembers must be certified in:

Basic Life Support
Advanced CardiacLife Support
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support or Basic Trauma Life Support

Air Evac has found that the nurse/paramedic combination works well because each can bring a separate set of skills and experience to the workplace. The pre-hospital background of the paramedic complements the critical care skills of the nurse.

Are Air Evac Lifeteam’s medical crews qualified to provide critical medical care?

Putting patient care and safety first is the focus of Air Evac Lifeteam Clinic Care Services. They accomplish this through the employee and outreach education, quality assurance and quality improvement programs, continuous review of medical protocols by staff and medical directors, and through participating in clinical research and development projects.

Air Evac Lifeteam medical crewmembers must undergo quarterly and annual competency classes, as determined by company medical directors. These competencies can be earned through monthly in-services, or other continuing education programs.

Medical direction for Air Evac Lifeteam is provided by medical directors located in each of the states served by AEL. The medical directors work together to develop the company’s medical protocols and ensure compliance with the medical regulations in each area.

How do crews determine where to take patients?

As an independent provider, Air Evac Lifeteam is not financially supported by a particular hospital. That enables our crews to impartially work with a variety of health care providers to place the “patient first,” and transport that patient to the closest facility that is able to provide the care needed for their particular medical condition.

Safety

Air Evac Lifeteam recognizes that safety is integral to its ability to complete lifesaving missions. The company is continuously improving its processes and looking for ways to improve safety for its crews and patients. The following is a listing of key safety initiatives:

Flight Simulator– AEL is the first air medical ambulance company to make this substantial investment in simulator technology to aid in the training and safety of its pilots, crew and patients.
SkyTrac® Satellite Tracking – Satellite supported technology installed in the aircraft pinpoints the exact location of the aircraft at any moment of its mission
Flight Data Analysts – Four pilots (all with more than 5 years of EMS experience) are utilized as Flight Data Analysts in AEL’s Operations Center to provide timely, accurate information to aid pilots in making real-time decisions regarding potential aircraft, weather and regulatory issues.
Radar Altimeters – AEL helicopters are equipped with radar altimeters. A radar altimeter provides the pilot with absolute assurance of the aircraft’s altitude above the ground.
FAA-approved Pilot Training Program – AEL operates a comprehensive FAA approved pilot training program to ensure that all pilots are performing safe operations.
Helmet Usage – A system wide commitment by the company is in place to ensure that all pilots and crewmembers make use of flight helmets for their safety and personal protection.
Full-time Safety Officer, Safety Committee – Are tasked with the sole responsibility of ensuring that all personnel are well-trained and highly conscious of safe operating procedures.

What type of helicopter is used in the company’s operations?

The Bell 206 LongRanger has been selected by AEL because of its history of high reliability, low maintenance and operating efficiency.

A fleet consisting of a single type of helicopter leads to standardization, more efficient and effective training and maintenance, which results in greater safety and reliability in servicing the air ambulance requirements of small rural communities.

AEL operates an extensive maintenance and refurbishment center that employs more than 60 trained professionals who specialize in aircraft maintenance, avionics, sheet metal fabrication and aircraft painting. When AEL purchases a helicopter, each aircraft undergoes a rigorous refurbishment process. The helicopter is stripped down to the skeleton and rebuilt, so it is essentially a new aircraft when it is finally put back into service.

In the more than 23 years that AEL has been in operation, the company has not experienced an accident that can be attributed to its maintenance program.

What training is required for AEL pilots?

Air Evac Lifeteam’s instrument-rated pilots are skilled aviators who become proficient air medical pilots by training under AEL’s proprietary and FAA-approved training programs. The average flight time for an Air Evac Lifeteam pilot is about 5,700 hours.

All of the Air Evac Lifeteam pilots must complete the company’s 14-day in-house training program, which includes company operational and procedural instruction, as well as aircraft and mission specific training. Air Evac pilots also are required to complete training through the Bell Helicopter Textron Training Academy. This additional training provides the pilots with in-depth information about the aircraft they will be flying. The Bell training is an extra step Air Evac takes because the company believes a pilot who understands the aircraft’s capabilities is going to be better prepared to handle emergency flight situations. Pilots are required to undergo recurrent company training on a yearly basis.

Air Evac Lifeteam pilots must demonstrate instrument proficiency in a dedicated flight training simulator. AEL is among the few air medical companies with this stringent requirement.

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Information/Data as of April 2008