KULR 8's Healthy Living: Local News
Help Flight
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Story Updated: Nov 3, 2009
You see them flying overhead but very rarely does the public get a close of view of the chopper. "We can do everything you can do in the emergency department," said Help Flight Nurse Chad Cady.
The pilots who maneuver this helicopter are some of the most experienced in Billings's airspace. "We do 1 to 2 flights a day and you can work that out to 7 days a week," said pilot Jay Schaaf. Unless there's severe weather the aircraft is always on call and can mobilize in minutes. "We've seen a lot of bad stuff so you kind of tune that out and you recognize what your duty are and responsibilities," said Scaaf.
While the pilot is trying to limit the bumps along the way, flight nurse Cady's focus is on stabilizing the patient. "We spend an extensive amount of time learning the roles," said Cady.
Flight teams consist of pilots, nurses, paramedics; even respiratory therapists all go through rigorous courses to make sure when called upon each member of the team can efficiently and safely handle any number of medical emergencies.
"Obviously if you do something good and you've helped somebody it makes you feel good. I think we as human beings like to help other people and that just happens to be our job," said Schaaf.
Don't be mistaken, the flight team says the job isn't glitz and glamour because while the goal is always to save lives, the unpredictable can happen hundreds of thousands of feet in the air. "I feel frustrated and disappointed when things don't go good," said Schaaf.
What keeps them coming back, they all have different reasons but say it's a privilege to work along side some of the most respected people in the medical field.
