Guardian Flight, a Global Medical Response (GMR) critical care air transport company, will open its first rotor wing base in Alaska at Kenai Municipal Airport this spring. The Airbus H125 helicopter will serve Alaska's Kenai Peninsula's hospitals including South Peninsula Hospital in Homer, Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna and Providence Seward Medical Center in Seward.

“GMR and Guardian Flight Alaska are pleased to expand our services to now include helicopter support for emergency patient airlifts in addition to interfacility transfers,” says GMR VP of northwest operations Jared Sherman. “We greatly appreciate the warm welcome our helicopter team has received from the communities we serve and the medical community.”

The Guardian Flight Kenai base will operate 24/7 with a crew of four pilots, four clinicians and two mechanics. The dedicated medically equipped Airbus H125 helicopter has a range of more than 300 nm and a top speed of 140 kts. Configured for vital life-saving and emergency transportation, the enhanced cabin H125 helicopter can carry a pilot, patient, nurse and paramedic, plus life-saving medical equipment.

Guardian Flight's first helicopter air medical base in the state will join 11 fixed wing medically equipped aircraft that provide life and limb-saving flights across Alaska. Bombardier Learjet 45s fly from Guardian Flight bases in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan. Dead Horse, Kotzebue, Fairbanks and Juneau operate a Beechcraft King Air B200 and Anchorage flies two B200s. A Cessna Caravan is based in Dillingham.

Guardian Flight is a participating provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), the US' largest air medical transport membership programme with more than 320 air medical locations across 38 states. Members flown for an injury or illness by an AMCN participating provider have no out-of-pocket costs for the flight. Whatever the member's insurance, or third-party insurance, pays is considered payment in full.