WILLIAMSBURG, Ohio — Firefighters and paramedics from three Clermont County fire departments spent Wednesday night learning how to safely operate around a medical helicopter, training alongside a flight nurse from Premier Health’s CareFlight program.
Members of Jackson Township Fire and Rescue, Wayne Township Fire and Rescue and Stonelick Township Fire Department gathered to review landing zone safety protocols and procedures for working near medical helicopters on emergency scenes, according to a Facebook post from Jackson Township Fire and Rescue – Clermont.
CareFlight Flight Nurse Anna Houser led the session, walking crews through the air ambulance service’s operations, landing zone requirements and helicopter fleet, the department said.
Crews also got a hands-on look at one of CareFlight’s helicopters, inspecting the aircraft and simulating the loading of a patient both with the engine off and while the rotor continued running, according to the post.
Premier Health has been phasing new Leonardo AW169 helicopters into the CareFlight fleet this year, replacing aircraft that had flown for more than three decades. The AW169 is equipped with an auxiliary power unit mode that lets the rotor blades stop while ground crews load a patient, according to Premier Health, a capability the older fleet lacked.
CareFlight has served the region since 1983, when Premier Health’s Miami Valley Hospital launched what the health system describes as the first air medical program in the area. The service now operates three helicopters and four ground mobile intensive care units, supporting more than 300 fire and EMS agencies across 17 counties, according to Premier Health.
Jackson Township Fire and Rescue, based on U.S. 50 in Williamsburg, was founded in January 1987 and is led by Chief William Christie. Wayne Township Fire and Rescue, headquartered on state Route 133, is led by Chief Mark Greatorex and operates a second station in Newtonsville. Stonelick Township Fire Department, formed in 2006 from the former Owensville Fire Department, runs two stations in Batavia.
The three departments thanked CareFlight for the training and their mutual aid partners for taking part, according to the Facebook post.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Jackson Township Fire and Rescue – Clermont.