K. Falls Gets Air Ambulance Service

By Emily Wood
 
February 5, 2009
 
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- A new air ambulance service operating in Klamath Falls is cutting emergency response time considerably.
 
The ambulance base is operated by Emergency Airlift, a private company headquartered in North Bend.
 
Emergency Airlift is the first helicopter service to work with Sky Lakes Medical Center. Until now, anyone needing to be airlifted had to wait for an aircraft out of Medford.
 
Emergency Airlift can reach Sky Lakes in four-and-a-half minutes from its base, three times faster than it would take an ambulance on the road.
 
The company has a two-engine helicopter and a ground ambulance at the KIamath Falls Airport. A pilot, along with a critical care nurse and paramedic are on call 24/7 to provide immediate emergency care.
 
"We're not waiting for someone else to show up from hundreds of miles away dealing with weather... we're right here," says Chief Pilot Ed Langerveld.
 
The aircraft can also reach Northern Nevada and Northern California.
 
The cost of the service is covered by a patient's insurance. People can also purchase a membership for $35 a year that covers all costs for a family.