Air Idaho Rescue opens West Yellowstone base

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Co. (KIFI)-Air Idaho Rescue, a subsidiary of Air Methods, has reopened its seasonal air medical base at West Yellowstone.  The base serves the greater Yellowstone, Wyoming region in conjunction with Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

Air Idaho Rescue extends care to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Gallatin National Forest, and the Madison River Valley.   Operations began this month with service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The West Yellowstone base is staffed by Air Idaho Rescue personnel, including flight nurses, paramedics, EMS pilots, and mechanics.

According to Air Methods, air medical teams execute lifesaving interventions to care for patients, from providing trauma care after an accident to administering clot-busting medications after a major stroke. The clinical support and speed of transport is critical to ensure patients receive the best and most timely treatment possible.

The air ambulance is equipped with a variety of critical care supplies and medications found in a hospital emergency room or intensive care unit (ICU). These include items such as oxygen, airway resuscitation equipment, heart monitor/defibrillator, suction, IV pump and fluids, specialized monitor/testing equipment, ventilators, and emergency medications.

The West Yellowstone base provides quicker response times for emergent and trauma situations.   It supports patients in cooperation with EIRMC’s transport team.  The EIRMC transport team provides access to the state’s only Burn Center, the region’s only Level I Intensive Care Unit, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatric Intensive Care Units.

“Since our West Yellowstone base began service in 2014, we have been honored to serve America’s first national park, and to bring our air medical resources to the residents and visitors of the greater Yellowstone region,” said Mike Jenkins, area manager for Air Methods. “A majority of the call volume is tourist-related within the park, which includes trauma from traffic accidents and animal incidents. Our emergency air medical crews are dedicated to bringing critical care to those in need.”