Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare is adding a sixth AW109 GrandNew light twin helicopter to its air ambulance/EMS programme. The organisation currently operates five GrandNews and one AW109K2 light twin. Intermountain Life Flight is the only IFR EMS operator in Utah with its own low level IFR infrastructure and proprietary heliport approach procedures.

As part of its health system, the operator completes 4,000 transports annually and operates seven bases at hospitals across the state, providing specialised services including High Risk OB, Complex Cardiac Care and Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump. Intermountain Life Flight says it is the only civilian-operated air ambulance service in the US to have an FAA-approved external load hoist rescue operation that can be used for mountain hoist rescue operations in mild weather.

Intermountain began service in 1978 as the seventh air medical programme in the US. During the past 40 years, the company has transported more than 108,000 patients, flown 15 million miles and completed more than 400 hoist rescues.