At a special event in Oklahoma, Tulsa Life Flight along with the Saint Francis Trauma and Stroke Symposium honoured the programme's founding history with the Saint Francis Hospital, bringing together past and present crew members as well as local medical, EMS and first responder leaders.

“If I could only say one word about Tulsa Life Flight, it would be ‘quality’,” says Bradley Reed, director of Mesta EMS. “The mechanics, pilots and clinicians have certainly set the standard for excellence. When your emergency medical service needs a helicopter or your family member is experiencing an emergency, there is nothing more beautiful and reassuring than the sight of Tulsa Life Flight landing, and knowing that your family member will be given the best care available.”

Founded in 1979 as a joint effort with Saint Francis Hospital and Hillcrest Medical Center, Tulsa Life Flight was the 13th air ambulance programme to be established in the nation. In 1984 it became one of the first to carry blood products outside of a hospital, and to date the programme has transported over 54,000 patients.

“Our pilots, nurses, paramedics and mechanics make Tulsa Life Flight different from other air ambulance services,” says

Johnny Dobson, account executive with Air Methods, the parent company of Tulsa Life Flight. “We have always been the best in the business at taking care of the citizens of Oklahoma. Forty five years accident free isn’t by mistake; it is by excellence.”

Approximately 75 guests, including representatives from Saint Francis Hospital, Hillcrest Medical Center and Ascension St John Medical Center, enjoyed sharing memories and refreshments.

Its bases in Pryor and Okmulgee are equipped with an EC130 helicopter ideally suited for the weather and terrain of eastern Oklahoma. These flying ICUs carry the equipment and medications needed to save lives in emergency situations, along with industry-leading flight nurses and paramedics who are trained to provide critical care to patients suffering from trauma due to accidents, cardiac and stroke events, high-risk obstetric emergencies and more. They carry blood products on board and that can be administered in flight to patients suffering from severe blood loss and at risk for haemorrhagic shock.

“I am so blessed and honoured to lead this team of the highest quality providers,” says Teresa Snell, area manager with Air Methods. “Our standard of offering excellence in care was set in stone from the beginning. Everyone understands the focus of providing the highest level of performance available. Excellent air medical care involves much more than just placing critical patients in an aircraft and flying fast. It is important that they receive the highest level of emergency care during that transport process.”