Wisconsin Medevac Operator Will Receive Helo In Late 2009

American Eurocopter announced Tuesday that Wisconsin-based Ministry Health Care's Spirit Medical Transportation Service, aka 'Spirit of Marshfield,' has selected the EC145 to renew its fleet. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive at the end of 2009.

"We are delighted that Spirit of Marshfield has chosen the EC145 as the helicopter to energize their fleet," said Marc Paganini, President and CEO of American Eurocopter.

Members from Spirit of Marshfield were on hand to help celebrate the announcement, including the AAMS 2008 Pilot of the Year award winner, Nils Strickland. Strickland, a Line Pilot with Spirit of Marshfield, has been with the program since its inception in 1993 and he is excited to get the EC145 into action.

"The EC145 is designed specifically for EMS. Everything about the helicopter stands out and the avionics and technology options really allow us to tailor it to suit our needs," he explains.

Spirit of Marshfield's mission profile includes a wide variety of cardiac, trauma, respiratory, high-risk obstetrical and other medical emergencies. The program began in 1993 and since then, it has completed more than 6,000 adult, pediatric and neonatal AMS missions in Wisconsin.

"The EC145 has outstanding cockpit visibility and they were able to give us much larger cabin size in a smaller footprint. This is important because it allows us to operate in smaller landing zones," Strickland added.

He had the opportunity to demo the aircraft and is impressed with its performance. "The helicopter has plenty of power and it is much more responsive than our current aircraft."

Powered by two Turbomeca ARRIEL engines, the EC145 also features high-set main and tail rotors, a large cabin, and rear-loading clamshell doors.

FMI: www.eurocopterusa.com, www.ministryhealth.org