Page 77 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2015
P. 77
MERCY FLIGHTS
Two old photographs tell a story of early air ambulance days.
One patient arrives in a hearse, the original ambulance. Is
the hatless man the driver? A boy’s gurney is partly handled
by a mechanic wearing grease-stained coveralls. Perhaps
someone hollered, “Hey Joe, we need a hand.” A nurse in starched
white cap and uniform stands by, while men in suits and fedoras load
a patient into a Mercy Flights plane that looks more like a cargo plane
than an air ambulance. One photo shows an unwieldy ventilator.
Much has changed. A modern ventilator measures approximately 12x6
inches and weighs under ten pounds. Hearses carry the deceased, while
specially designed ground and air ambulances serve as mini-intensive
care units during transport. And, gone are the starched uniforms and
fedoras.
In 1949, local air traffic controller George Milligan saw people from
our community die from lack of close-by advanced medical assistance.
From that need, Mercy Flights was born, the first civil air ambulance
service in the United States. After the first year, the non-profit com-
pany needed a regular source of finances and created a prepaid pro-
gram. The 2,000 initial members paid $2 a year per family.
Today, Mercy Flights uses one of two specially-equipped fixed-wing
aircraft and a helicopter*. All three have an onboard specially-trained
flight nurse and paramedic. Amid the rows of medical supplies in the
ground ambulances, stuffed animals wait to comfort traumatized chil-
dren. Night vision goggles allow after-dark airlifts. Mercy Flights has a
high tech dispatch center, a warehouse of medical supplies and onsite
training facilities.
Membership specialist Deb Holden and Flight Supervisor Rodney
Blake show off their high-performance facility like proud parents, and
rightly so. Mr. Milligan would be pleased to see what his vision looks
like today.
*(BTS, LCC is the FAR Part 135 Certificate Holder providing helicop-
ter aviation services and owns and operates the helicopter used by Mercy
Flights, Inc.)
Mercy Flights
2020 Milligan Way, Medford
541-858-2600
www.mercyflights.com
FOR EMERGENCIES -- CALL 9-1-1
Two old photographs tell a story of early air ambulance days.
One patient arrives in a hearse, the original ambulance. Is
the hatless man the driver? A boy’s gurney is partly handled
by a mechanic wearing grease-stained coveralls. Perhaps
someone hollered, “Hey Joe, we need a hand.” A nurse in starched
white cap and uniform stands by, while men in suits and fedoras load
a patient into a Mercy Flights plane that looks more like a cargo plane
than an air ambulance. One photo shows an unwieldy ventilator.
Much has changed. A modern ventilator measures approximately 12x6
inches and weighs under ten pounds. Hearses carry the deceased, while
specially designed ground and air ambulances serve as mini-intensive
care units during transport. And, gone are the starched uniforms and
fedoras.
In 1949, local air traffic controller George Milligan saw people from
our community die from lack of close-by advanced medical assistance.
From that need, Mercy Flights was born, the first civil air ambulance
service in the United States. After the first year, the non-profit com-
pany needed a regular source of finances and created a prepaid pro-
gram. The 2,000 initial members paid $2 a year per family.
Today, Mercy Flights uses one of two specially-equipped fixed-wing
aircraft and a helicopter*. All three have an onboard specially-trained
flight nurse and paramedic. Amid the rows of medical supplies in the
ground ambulances, stuffed animals wait to comfort traumatized chil-
dren. Night vision goggles allow after-dark airlifts. Mercy Flights has a
high tech dispatch center, a warehouse of medical supplies and onsite
training facilities.
Membership specialist Deb Holden and Flight Supervisor Rodney
Blake show off their high-performance facility like proud parents, and
rightly so. Mr. Milligan would be pleased to see what his vision looks
like today.
*(BTS, LCC is the FAR Part 135 Certificate Holder providing helicop-
ter aviation services and owns and operates the helicopter used by Mercy
Flights, Inc.)
Mercy Flights
2020 Milligan Way, Medford
541-858-2600
www.mercyflights.com
FOR EMERGENCIES -- CALL 9-1-1
